


Restart

by leantealang



Category: Mamamoo, Yoo Seung-Ho - Fandom
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Comedy, F/F, Fanfiction, LeanteaLang, Multi, moonsun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26737648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leantealang/pseuds/leantealang
Summary: Love brought them together, but it also tore them apart. It gave them happy memories, but then stabbed them in their hearts. Three years have passed, but how much has changed? When confronted with old pain and new feelings, will their love still be the same? A new love, a new rival, and a new beginning. What's going to happen?
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, moonsun - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	1. Back Again

The warmth they shared as their hands slowly merged to become one. The coldness of the winter night began to vanish from their hearts. They looked into each other eyes as they gently placed their foreheads together. A smile ran across their faces, filling them with joy. They shared with one another a world no other could see nor comprehend. The bliss of being together felt as though they were frozen in time. The din of the crowd ebbed and flowed, but in this moment, in their eyes there was only each other.

Solar pecked Moonbyul’s lips at the strike of 12 and whispered, “Merry Christmas.”

Moonbyul opened her eyes, gently tucked Solar’s hair behind her ear and replied with a sweet smile, “Merry Christmas.”

“This is our first Christmas together, what should we do?” Solar questioned cutely. “What does a couple normally do on Christmas?” She looked at Moonbyul for an answer.

“It doesn’t matter what we do as long as I have you,” she said sweetly. “You’re the only love and happiness I need. Seeing you smile is enough for me.” She pulled Solar closer.

“But it’s a special day. I want to make it unforgettable,” she pouted.

“Then what do you want to do?” she teased, “Your wish is my command.”

“Hmm—” Solar smiled devilishly. She leaned in closer, ran her fingers up Moonbyul’s jacket, and wrapped her arms around Moonbyul’s shoulders. In an instant, she pulled their bodies closed enough that their lips almost touched. “Then,” she spoke slowly and mischievously, “would you like to come with me to that place over there?” She signaled slightly with her head to the right.

Moonbyul glanced at the indicated direction and saw something from the corner of her eyes. It made her blush, causing her heartbeat to race. She could taste the sweat from the corner of her lips as her nervousness slowly began to show. “I-If that’s what you want, b-but don’t you think w-we’re moving a little t-too fast?”

“Hmm.” She raised an eyebrow. “I think we’re too slow,” she teasingly whispered into Moonbyul’s ear, “Don’t you think so?”

Moonbyul’s face was turning redder by the second. She took a moment to compose herself before declaring, “Alright, let’s go!” She grabbed Solar’s hand and headed towards the bright pink Neon sign that read ‘ _Love Hotel.’_

Solar smiled secretly as she watched Moonbyul’s serious expression. The destination was within her grasp, Moonbyul could feel her excitement overflowing. She could imagine herself confidently walking through the front door, her lover in one hand and a beautiful night in the other. Just then, a force snapped her back to reality and pulled her towards a less fascinating store front, but one which should have crossed her mind to begin with.

“We’re here, let’s go ice skating!” Solar declared sweetly.

Moonbyul looked up at the sign and was speechless at her misunderstanding. Solar chuckled softly before she spoke, “You look disappointed, was this not what you wanted?” She tried to suppress her laughter, but it was hard not to laugh, seeing Moonbyul’s reaction.

“N-no, it’s not,” she responded without hesitation. “I-I mean it is, it is.” She caught herself and smiled nervously. She didn’t want Solar to figure out what went through her head mere moments ago. She felt embarrassed and tried to hide her face. Solar could read Moonbyul like a book so there was nothing Moonbyul could hide from her.

“Great! Let’s go in then!”

She took Moonbyul’s hand and headed into the skating rink. They stopped by the reception to pick out their ice skates. Solar glanced through the selections to choose the perfect pair for them. As she was looking, she burst out laughing because she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Moonbyul on the other hand was trying to regain her demeanor, pretending nothing had happened. When Solar began laughing, she realized she had fallen prey to the sweet Solar’s devilish teasing once more. She looked over at Solar, sighed and shook her head, giving a smile to indicate she had accepted her defeat. She placed one arm around Solar’s waist, picked up their skates, and headed for the rink. On the way, they bumped into someone.

They turned around and apologized. Solar bowed, feeling she was partly to blame. That encounter had snapped her back into reality. The couple reminded her of her past, almost as if it was playing out before her. A past so vivid she could recount the smallest detail. The warm embrace; the slight gestures; the unforgettable smile; they had carved their marks upon her heart. It was a past she should have already forgotten. A past filled with happiness and pain, but one she was unable to let go. She smiled wryly and gripped the slack of clothing in front of her chest, a sense of relieved and sadness overwhelmed her.

 _I haven’t seen her in three years,_ she sighed sullenly. _Byul ah—_ She watched the couple, who were enjoying themselves on the skating rink. Even though it brought her loneliness, she couldn’t look away. _Why did I_ _walk_ _th_ _e_ _path I took five years ago?_ _She glanced around,_ _we spent o_ _ur first Christmas_ _here._ _The decoration haven’t change much._

 _I can’t stop thinking about the time we spent here. How happy we were._ She closed her eyes, the images of their memories flashed through her mind. _I never thought I would be here without you._ Her tears were beginning to form at the tips of her eyes. _I thought I could move on after I left for the state. Was I wrong?_ She smiled wryly. _Why did I come here?_ _Why did I follow the memories I buried deep within my heart?_ _D-do I want to see her again?_ She held her hand to her chest. _The pain still lingers even after all this time._ She clasped her hands together as if she was praying to erase all the sadness.

“Miss, are you alright? Can I offer you any assistance?” The cashier snapped her out of her trance.

“Thank you for the kind offer. I must get going, have a good evening.” She greeted him hurriedly and left. As she stepped outside, the cold wind wrapped it claws around her, freezing her already cold heart. The warmth of those hands from her past that she couldn’t forget; she was too afraid to reach out towards them. Afraid of hurting and getting hurt by such warmth again. “I came back Byul-ah, I’m back but—” she paused for a moment. “Are we ready to face each other again?”


	2. Just Like Old Times

Solar came back to her hotel and took a hot bath. As she soaked in the bathwater, she felt her worries slowly washed itself away. The warm embrace of the gentle water eased her mind. She closed her eyes and rested her weary soul, before she knew it she had fallen asleep. _When did I fall asleep? I wonder what time it is now?_ She smiled and stretched, _I guess it doesn’t matter._ There was a new sense of happiness after her nap and she was content with that.

When she left the restroom, she noticed that her phone was filled with messages—forty-eight of them to be exact—plus fifteen missed calls, and all of them were from Whee-In. _I forgot I told Whee-In I would call her once I’_ _d_ _landed._ She glanced at the time, _that was about 2 hours ago,_ she sighed in disbelieved. _Should I ignore it? She’_ _s_ _going to give me an earful._ She tapped her foot as she stared down at her phone. After a serious consideration, _I shouldn't, she must be really worried._ She decided to return Whee-In’s phone call. As she dialed, she braced herself for a loud lecture, and loud it was. The phone had barely finished it first rang when Whee-In’s voice screeched from the other side.

“Where have you been!? I was really worried! I almost called the police! You said 8:30. 8:30!!! Do you know how many times I called you!? I—”

“Calm down. I’m fine,” she spoke softly.

“Cal-Calm down!? Ho—?” She was baffled at the prospect. “I thought something bad had happened. You are always on time and you’re over 2 hours late! 2 hours! This is the first time you did this to me, how could I not be worried!?”

“I’m sorry,” she pleaded in a cute voice. “Please, forgive me. I'll try not to do it next time.”

“Ne-Next time!? There’s not going to be a next time!" She pouted angrily.

“Alright. Alright. No next time. Don’t be angry, okay?”

She tried her best to calm Whee-In, but she couldn’t do much. Whee-In stayed rowdy until another voice entered the conversation. It was calm and soothing, singing a sweet melody. Solar smiled happily, recognizing Hwasa’s voice.

“Whee-In ah, don’t lecture her anymore. She must be tired from her flight, let her rest,” she said sweetly.

“Alright—” she mumbled and handed the phone to Hwasa.

“Hello?” she called out to Solar.

“Hey,” Solar replied cheerily. “It’s been awhile. How are you?”

"Good. Good,” she nodded. “As you can tell, Whee-In is doing great. She was really excited when you told her you were coming back.” She paused for a moment, “But why didn’t you tell me? I only found out through Whee-In. That stung a bit, you know? Was it because I’m close to you-know-who?”

“Sorry—maybe that is part of the reason. I’m not sure myself. But Whee-In tells you everything, so I figure she would just let you know.” She sighed, feeling sad she had let her friend down.

“It’s fine. I’m just teasing. You must be tired, you should rest. Don’t worry about Whee-In, I got her.” She assured Solar that everything was under control.

“Alright, let’s catch up sometime. Good night.”

“Good night,” she said cheerily.

Solar hung up, a serene smiled spread across her face. She thought for a moment on how she could enjoy the rest of her evening. She poured a glass of wine, cranked up her relaxing music, and stepped out to her balcony. The gentle wind caressed her face as it passed by and a beautiful scenery greeted her, giving her a smile. She leaned on her balcony as she watched the city light below. It was lit up on every corner, filling the city with a gentle glow. Although she couldn’t hear the loud music and chatter. She knew it filled the city, bringing with it all sort of laughter. She returned to her bed and fell asleep with ease. Just like her calm heart, her mind was at peace. The moonlight wrapped her in its warmth, making sure she was safe and unharmed.

The light from the morning sun greeted her happily. When she looked at the time, it was ten in the morning. _I slept for almost twelve hours,_ she smiled and shook her head. She stretched and yawned as she headed towards the restroom. After washing up, she opted for a long sleeve shirt and jeans because it was cold out. As she debated on what she should do, her phone began to vibrate. _I wonder who it could be?_ She picked it up and saw Whee-In’s message.

 **WheePup** : Hey Unnie, wanna get coffee?

 **DoReMi** : Sure!

**WheePup** :  Yay! ^^

**WheePup** :  See you soon! <3

They met at a coffee shop a few blocks from the hotel Solar was staying at. Solar arrived first and waited out front for Whee-In. The moment Whee-In got there, she dashed towards Solar and hugged her so tightly it almost knocked them both to the ground. Solar could tell that Whee-In was on the verge of tears. She patted Whee-In’s head to assure her everything was alright.

“It’s cold. Let’s go in,” she said sweetly and Whee-In nodded.

They sat by the window, took off their thick coats, and ordered their drinks. There was a long silence before Whee-In grabbed Solar’s hand and spoke.

“I’m glad you’re back,” she paused and took a deep breath, making sure she wouldn’t break down crying. “You left so suddenly, I didn’t get to say goodbye. We’re so close yet you—” She furrowed her brow and said sternly, “You’re not allow to do that again. Make sure to tell me before you leave.”

“I don’t think I’ll be leaving anymore. I might stay here perma—”

Whee-In didn’t wait for Solar to finish. She was so excited she slammed her hands on the table and stood up quickly. “Really!?” she screeched. She was causing a scene so Solar gestured for her to calm down. She looked around and realized the other customers were staring at her. She laughed nervously as she sat down.

“Yes, but I’m not a hundred percent sure.”

“That’s still great! If Hwasa and Moon—” She caught herself before she could finish and carefully worded her sentence before she continued. “Hwasa will be so happy. I’m going to tell her later. She will love it!”

“How are you guys?”

“We’re good. Some debate here and there but it’s no big deal. Can’t agree on everything, you know? But she always find a way to cheer me up when I’m feeling down. Seeing her happy makes me happy. It’s simple and I like it that way.”

“That’s good. Treasure it.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” She smiled happily.

The veil of silence had caught up to them once more. Whee-In could tell Solar had a question. She also had a pretty good idea what that was based on Solar’s expression. She stayed silent and waited until Solar was ready to speak.

Solar grabbed the sleeve of her shirt and ruffled it between her fingers. She took a few deep breaths and sighed. _Should I be asking about her?_ A conflicted feeling burning within her heart. _What is it that I want to know? Her well-being?_ _What she’d been doing_ _the last_ _three_ _years? Have she found someone new? Would it make a difference?_ She looked up at Whee-In, who was smiling sweetly. She let out a long sigh and took a sip of her coffee, deciding that a simple question would be best.

“How is she?”

Whee-In pondered for a moment, trying her best to phrase her answer. She wanted to avoid hurting Solar. “She’s fine—” She scratched the back of her head. “I actually don’t see her much anymore. I know she moved awhile back. I’m not sure to where. I didn’t ask. Hwasa visits her often though.” She sighed, “We met from time to time a while back, but we always ended up arguing. Hwasa had to intervene each time. I didn’t want to make it hard on Hwasa, so I just stop going.” She sipped her coffee.

“Was it because of me?” The sadness was apparent on Solar’s face.

“I guess I did blamed her when you left—” She stopped, realizing she might have veered in the wrong direction.

“It’s not—” she mumbled, looking down at her hands.

Whee-In quickly changed the subject. “You said you were staying, right? Have you found a place to stay yet?”

She shook her head, “No, not yet.” She perked up, “I was going to check out some places today.”

“Looking for anything in particular?”

“Doesn’t have to be great, but probably close to work.”

“You were studying to be a doctor, right?”

“Yes, I’m in training now. I’ll be starting in two weeks,” she said happily, wanting to jump from joy. “I just need to find a place to stay. I’m hoping to find one before I start.”

“I’ll go look with you. Better than going alone. Besides, you’ve been away for three years. You going to need a tour guide to get you through these mean streets.”

“That’s not good advertisement,” she chuckled. “Does tour guides even speak that way?”

Whee-In cleared her throat, “Well ma’am, your requested service has arrived. The tour bus will be departing soon.” She got up and bowed; one hand to her abdomen, the other pointed towards the door. “This way please.” She looked up and winked.

She tried her best to keep a straight face, but the corner of her lips perked up every few seconds. She got up and spoke as seriously as she could, “thank you kindly. Let’s be off then.”

The moment they stepped outside, they burst out in laughter. The passerby raised their eyebrows, most likely pondering if these girls had a screw or two loose somewhere. Once they had calmed down, they let out a long sighed as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They looked at each other and smiled.

“Let’s go,” she said sweetly.

“Yes, let’s.” Whee-In nodded in agreement.

After a day of searching but turning up empty handed, they still felt that the time they spent together was not wasted. They had fun and made new memories. They bid each other farewell and parted ways happily.


	3. A Place At Last?

When Whee-In arrived home, she was greeted by a beautiful sight. A sexy Hwasa sitting on the couch, eating an apple, and watching television. She wrapped her arms around Hwasa and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“You’re home!” she said cheerfully. She got up, helped Whee-In out of her jacket, and hung it by the door. “You’re in a good mood I see,” she commented, feeling the joy spreading to her as she looked at Whee-In’s face. “Did something good happen?”

“You could say that,” she answered merrily.

“Mind sharing?”

“Anything for you.”

“Anything?” She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“ Of course.” Whee-In playfully followed along.

They placed their foreheads together and closed their eyes. “I would share the world with you,” they  said simultaneously  as they smiled. They sat down on the sofa before continuing their conversation. 

“So what’s the good news?” Hwasa questioned  eagerly .

“Yong-Sun Unnie said she’s not leaving. She’s moving back here!”

“ Really!?”

“Ye s! At least, that’ s what she said.”

“ She has any plan ?”

“ She’s going to start her training as a doctor soon.”

“Has she found a place to stay?”

“Not yet. I’m helping her with that at the moment. Speaking of that— ” She turned towards Hwasa. “I wanted to tell you I  can’t be home as much since I’ m helping  her . I  can’t spend as much time with you.”

“That’s fine.” She shrugged.

“What!? You’re not even going to protest a little?”

“Do you want me to?”

“No, but—”  She pouted and Hwasa chuckled.

She kissed Whee-In’s forehead before she spoke, “We have our whole life to spend together. I’ m just lend ing you to her for now, but just for now. Got it?” 

“Mhm ~ ”  She smiled shyly.

They cuddled on the couch and enjoyed a movie together. Whee-In was asleep before the movie was even half way through. Hwasa carried her to bed and tugged her in before laying down herself. The next day, Hwasa was still asleep when Whee-In woke up. She smiled and gave Hwasa a kissed.

“Good morning beautiful,” she whispered in Hwasa’s ear before she got out of bed.

As she was getting ready, she made sure to be as quiet as she could. She also prepared breakfast and left a note for Hwasa.

 _Heat up the food before you eat it. I’m going to meet with_ _Yong-Sun_ _U_ _nnie. You don’t have to wait up for me. I love you. - Forever yours, Whee-In._

Solar and Whee-In searched high and low, far and wide, at least within the zone limit they had set at the beginning, but it was to no avail. Another day was lost. They were tired from walking so they sat on the sidewalk. Their backs leaning against one another.

“Why is it so hard to find one place?” Whee-In wailed.

“This is hopeless.” She sighed.

“No!”  She renewed her resolve, “We can’t give up!”  She stood up suddenly, causing Solar to fall backward. “ I won’t fail you!”  She extended her hand toward s Solar to help her off the ground.

S olar was taken aback for a moment before she grabbed Whee-In’s hand. “ Are you alright?”  She raised  an eye brow.

“I’ve never been better!”  she exclaimed.

“ Do you think we’ ll find a place?”

“Of course!  I have a plan! ”

“ What plan ?”

“ I f we don’t find one, you can come live with me. I’ll support you!”

“ Please, tell me that’s a joke.”

“I’m serious!”  She gripped Solar’s arm s. “I’ll clothes  you! I’ll feed you! I’ll provide for you!”

“No,”  she s aid without hesitating.

“ What!? Why not!?”

“ Do I really need to answer that?”

“ It’ll be free,”  she said gleefully.

“Hmm, let me think—” Solar pretended to ponder  as Whee-In anticipated for a response. “The answer is—”  She raised the tension, “still no,”  she  said sternly.

“ Fine. Fine. Have it your way.”

“ Let’s call it a day. You must be tired.”

“You too. Let’s look at some more places tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to come with me.”

“Nonsense.  I’m more than happy to accompany you, ”  Whee-In smiled. “S ee you tomorrow.”

“Alright, be safe.”

“You too.”

Solar got back to her hotel  and  crashed on her bed.  She only wanted to rest her eyes for a moment but fell asleep  until the next morning.  She realized what a mess she was in when she got up and proceeded to clean herself.  It gave her a renew sense of vigor.

Whee-In and Solar had been searching for a week, but the only places they could find were either too expensive or already filled. They decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant and discussed how they should proceed.

“We should expand our search zone,” Solar suggested.

“I thought you didn’t want it to be too far?”

“A few miles out will be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“We don’t really have much choice.”

“My offer is still available~” Whee-In smiled cutely.

“No.”

“It’ll have everything you want~.”

“Still no.”

“You’re one tough customer.”

“I’m not your customer.” She held her head and sighed.

“Mhm.” Whee-In only shook her head in disapproval.

“Can’t you take this seriously?”

“I don’t know, can I?” She tried to keep herself from smiling.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Love me~?” She looked at Solar pleadingly.

She sighed happily. “I can never be mad at you.”

After enjoying their lunch, they headed out once more. They arrived in a small neighborhood consisted of mostly the elderly. The street was only big enough for one vehicle to pass through at any given time. However, it was cleaned and well maintained. A sign was pinned outside one of the house.

_Want to rent? Ask inside. - Landlady_

“That’s straightforward,” Whee-In commented.

“Let’s go. Let’s go!” She rushed, feeling excited at the prospect of finding a place.

They found an elderly woman in the front yard. She was in the middle of hanging her various assortments of colorful laundry. Her gray curly hair dangling just pass her eyebrow, and sweats dripped off from the corner of her chin.

“Excuse me,” Solar called.

“What do you want?” The elderly woman questioned sternly.

“We saw your sign outside, and wanted to ask—”

“Renting?”

“Yes!”

“Follow me,” the landlady dropped her clothes back into the basket and wiped her hands on her shirt.

“Where are we going?” Whee-In questioned.

“It’s a house down this way,” she answered nonchalantly. They walked about three houses down before she stopped. “Go in and have a look.”

The house has a gray roof and wooden floor. Although it looked a bit dated, it seemed sturdy and well maintained. The front yard was practically empty with only a large bucket and a bench tucked in the corner. The first room to greet anyone entering was the kitchen and the living space surrounding it. It was well organized and spacious. The last thing were the two bedrooms, which were to the left and right of the kitchen respectively.

Whee-In was heading towards the left bedroom when the landlady yelled, “you can’t enter that one!”

“Why not? What’s wrong with it?” she questioned.

“It’s rented out already.”

“Rented out?” She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Yes. This is a share house. Didn’t you know?”

“No.”

“Well, now you do,” the landlady voice was stern but gentle, “if you don’t mind sharing then you can move in whenever. You still have your own bedroom and study. You just have to share the living room and kitchen.”

“What about the other tenant?”

“The other tenant is also a girl. She’s a good person. She’s not home that often due to work related problems, so you’ll most likely have the place to yourself.”

“If she’s not home often how do you know she’s a good person?”

The landlady gave her a scary look before answering, “do you want to rent or not?”

“I—”

“I’ll take it!” Solar screamed out excitedly.

“Who’s renting?” The landlady glanced back and forth between them.

“I am!” she said cheerfully.

The landlady looked back at Whee-In and raised her brow.

“What?” Whee-In protested, “I have to look out for my friend.”

“You’re a good friend,” the landlady smiled. “So do you want to rent this place?” She turned towards Solar.

“Yes!”

“Let’s go take care of the paperwork then.”

As they followed the landlady back to her home, Whee-In tugged on Solar’s sleeve and whispered, “Do you think this is a good idea? Somewhere else might be better.”

“Don’t be silly. This place is perfect. Affordable and spacious. It even comes with all the accommodations that I need. Besides, we haven’t found anything better. Don’t worry. Don’t worry,” she reassured Whee-In but in truth she wanted to gloss over the subject.

“As long as you’re happy. I guess it’s fine,” she replied hesitantly.

“I’m happy. I’m happy. Let’s go. Let’s go,” she wrapped her arm around Whee-In and quicken their pace.

The landlady offered Solar a short term and a long term lease. Solar chose the latter, a two years lease agreement. It was the more sensible option of the two, at least to her. She could save money in the long run while living in a nice place. It was a no-brainer. She happily signed the agreement and went back to the hotel to grab her belongings.

She didn’t have much to pack because she hadn’t had the time to shop since her return. Solar was happily packing when she noticed Whee-In’s troubling face. She knew that Whee-In had a thing or two to say about her decision. She sighed softly bracing herself for a lecture.

“Alright, let’s have it.”

“Have what?” Whee-In raised an eyebrow.

“I know you have something to say, so say it.”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“Are you sure?” she said skeptically.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Don’t regret it.”

“You know what, I do have something to say,” Whee-In threw the shirt she had onto the bed.

“Here we go,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She smiled.

“First of all, you need to be more cautious,” she sighed. “How could you agree so easily? You should have spent more time thinking about it.”

“And so the lecture has begun,” she said under her breath.

“Did you say something?”

“Of course not,” she smiled. “Please continue.”

“Why did you sign it so easily?”

“What if I waited and someone else rented the place?”

“That’s no excuse to be irrational.”

“It wasn’t an irrational decision. I thought it through.”

“You thought it through?” Whee-In was baffled. “You didn’t even asked the landlady any questions!”

“But you did!” She smiled happily. “You asked her everything I wanted to know.”

“What if I wasn’t there? Were you going to ask her those questions?”

“Of course, who do you think I am?” _Would I?_ she wondered.

“Fine. What about the other tenant?”

“What about her?”

“What do you mean what about her!? You don’t know who she is. How could you believe that she’s a good person? What if she’s trouble? I mean, what kind of good person have so many work related problems that she barely goes home!?”

“Don’t stress over it. Besides most of my time would be spent at the hospital. We might never bump into each other. Hotel is expensive you know. I can’t live here forever.”

“That’s why I said you can come live with me!”

“No.”

“Why not!?”

“Do you really want me to sit there and watch you two flirt? Or hear something I shouldn’t?”

“I see your point.”

“Anyway I already signed the agreement. It’s too late to back out now.”

Whee-In could only sigh in defeat. They finished packing and checked out from the hotel. Whee-In accompanied Solar back to her new abode. The landlady brought them soju and hot foods as a welcome present. They drank and celebrated together.

Whee-In was more at ease after she got to know the landlady. It was getting late so she took a cab home. Solar cleaned the dishes and stacked them neatly on a tray, planning to return them the next morning. Her work at the hospital would be starting in three days and she was glad she had found a place at last. She went in her room and sat at her desk to review some notes.

On her way home, Whee-In was excited to share the good news with Hwasa. However, when she arrived, the house was empty, her heart dropped a little. She sighed and saw the note Hwasa pinned to the fridge.

 _Hey love, if you see this I’m heading out to meet with Moonbyul. I_ _t_ _shouldn’t take_ _too long, but if_ _it_ _do_ _es_ _then don’t wait up for me._ _\- Your one and only, Hwasa._

“You’re going to tell her Yong-Sun Unnie is back aren’t you?” Whee-In mumbled.

Hwasa went to a small soju place by the sea, where she had became a regular. It only had a few tables set up inside a square tent, and most of its business came from the dock workers. When she entered, Moonbyul wasn't inside. The place was small so it only took one glance to see who was there.

“She’s out at the usual place,” the owner gestured with his head. He handed her a bottle of soju and a plate of food.

“Thanks.”

She saw Moonbyul sitting on a bench, sipping her drink, and throwing pebbles into the sea, just like always. She sighed before she approached. She sat down next to Moonbyul, placed the food between them, and waited for Moonbyul to speak.

“Still the same I see. Just sitting there quietly.” Moonbyul smiled wryly.

“Speak for yourself. Drinking out here even in this weather.”

“More enjoyable that way. You don’t think so?”

“I could think of a better place.”

“Really? A place with a better scenery and a quiet sea breeze?” She chuckled before she took a sip from her bottle.

“What scenery? It’s dark,” she protested. “I could do without the sea breeze. I much prefer a warm fire right about now.”

“You just don’t appreciate the finer things in life.”

“I don’t!?” She was baffled. “This person—really—” she mumbled.

“How are you?”

“Fine,” she grumbled.

“And Whee-In?”

“She’s good. You know how she is. She gets herself into trouble now and again. But it’s part of her charm.” She smiled shyly as she spoke about Whee-In. “And you? What have you been up to? It’s been a while since I saw you.”

“Not much. Work kept me busy,” she turned to Hwasa. “So tell me, why did you call me out here?”

“Do I need a reason to see my buddy?”

“No, but this is not a simple social call. I can tell. So split it out.”

“There goes your old habit coming out again.”

“Just because I’m a detective doesn’t mean I suspect everything.”

“Aren’t you doing it right now?”

“Are you telling me this is a simple social call?”

“No.”

“Then split it out.”

Hwasa sighed, “Fine.”

“What is it?”

“Can’t I have a second to think?”

“Fine, have it your way.”

Hwasa took a deep breath before she spoke. “Yong-Sun Unnie is back.”

Moonbyul was drinking her soju when she heard the news and almost spat it out. She turned to Hwasa in disbelieved.

“She’s back?”

“Yeah.”

She turned away, tears fell from her eyes yet a smile crept across her face at the same time. She felt an aching pain in her chest. But the gentle embrace of happiness also wrapped itself around her. _Why am I feeling this way? Should I not be happy that she’s back?_ She stood up and screamed to the sea. _This feeling. This pain. I don’t want it._ _I don’t want any of it!_ She screamed again and again but no words came out.

H wasa stayed by Moonbyul’ s side and watched over her. She could do naught else and questioned whether she’ d made the right decision  telling Moonbyul about Solar .  She waited for Moonbyul to finish letting off some steam before  accompanying her for more drinks.  She needed to make sure Moonbyul would get home safely.

T hey barhopped from one place to the next, Moonbyul pretende d she was having the time of her life.  As for Hwasa, she was only there to watch over Moonbyul.  Before the clock  could even announced the arrival of midnight, Moonbyul had drank enough that she could barely stand.  Hwasa had to forcefully stopped her and dragged her home. 

“ I iiiiii waaaaaannnnaaa driiiiiiikkkksssss!”

“You had enough! Go inside!” Hwasa commanded.

“ Nooonnnn!”  She reached for the gate handle but there were so many,  and they kept rotating, she w asn’t able to grab one .

“Go home!”

“Yuuuu goooo hommm!”

“ I’ll go home if you go home!”

“Fiiieeeeeee! Iiii goooooo hommmm!” Moonbyul turned around and almost tripped but Hwasa caught her in time.  “ Gooo aaavvaayy,”  she wiggled her arm out of Hwasa gripped.

“ Go inside!”

“Shhhhhh yuuuu loooouuuddd. Goooo hoooommm!”

“ You’re louder than me,”  she sighed.

“Gooooo avvvvaaaayyyy.”

Moonbyul wobbled to the front door and Hwasa made sure she got inside before leaving. When Hwasa got home she saw Whee-In waiting for her and smiled.

“I’m home,” she spoke sweetly.

“Welcome home,” she said cheerily.

Whee-In got up from the sofa and went over to hug Hwasa. They shared a sweet kiss before Whee-In took Hwasa’s jacket and hung it up. She led Hwasa over to the sofa and poured her a cup of warm tea. As Hwasa sipped her tea, Whee-In placed her hands on Hwasa’s ears.

“Do you feel warmer?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes,” Hwasa nodded with a smile.

“How is she?” she asked hesitantly.

“She knows Yong-Sun Unnie is back. She drank quite a bit after that.”

“Then, did you have to tell her?”

“You know it’s better that I tell her. If she finds out when she’s alone. What do you think will happen?”

“I know—it’s just—” She couldn’t think of a good reason.

“Don’t think about it. So how’s Yong-Sun Unnie?”

“She’s good. We found a place for her. I’m a bit skeptical but she really likes it. She’ll have to share it with another tenant but she’s fine with it.”

“Where at?”

When Whee-In told Hwasa the address she choke on the tea she was sipping.

“What's wrong? Was it too hot? Did it burn you?”

“N-no—” Hwasa tried to speak.

“What’s wrong then?”

Hwasa regained her composure before she continued, “The address you just mentioned—” she paused.

“What about it?” she asked impatiently.

“That’s where Moonbyul lives.”

“WHAT!!?”

Meanwhile, as soon as Moonbyul entered her home she lost her bearing. It was dark but instead of trying to turn on the light she squinted her eyes. As if that would magically make it brighter. She did it for a while, just standing there staring at the darkness. Then when she tried to get to her room, she fell, causing a loud crashing noise.

Solar was still studying at the time when she heard the noise. _What was that? Was it a burglar?_ She grabbed the nearest blunt instrument and slowly opened her door. She glanced around a few times before she noticed the silhouette moving on the floor.

“Who are you!? Answer me!” She demanded but received no response. “I have a weapon!” She threaten but the person was still silent. She slowly inched towards the light switch and turned it on. She noticed the person on the floor and moved towards her. “Are you okay?” She poked the body with her weapon. “You reek. Have you been drinking? Are you the other tenant? Hello?” She continued poking the body.

“Stttooopppp iiiittt!” Moonbyul pushed it away and tried to get up but fell once more.

“Let me help you.” she grabbed her arm.

She wiggled away, “Iiiii fiiiiiinnnneeeeee!” she laughed.

“You’re obviously not!” she protested. _Why am I getting irritated? This person—seriously._ “Let me help you.” She tried again to get Moonbyul off the ground.

“SSSSSSSSSS~”

“Are you hissing at me?”

“SSSSSSSSSS!!!”

“Are you serious right now!?”

“SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!”

“Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry,” she chanted slowly to herself. While Solar was trying to calm herself, Moonbyul began to swim away, but her attempt was rather unsuccessful. “What are you doing?”

“Svvviiiimmmmm!”

“You’re acting like a fool.” _Why do I find this cute? Almost irresistible. What am I thinking!?_

“Yuuuuuu aaaaaa fooooooo!”

“Did you just call me a fool!? This person—!” _Why do I want to slap her so bad? Calm down Solar. Calm down._

“Foooooooooooooo!”

Solar grumbled, “get up you fool!” _Did I just say that out loud? Did I just call a stranger a fool? What is wrong with me?_

“SSSSSSSSSSSS~”

“Stop it!” she demanded.

“SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

“I said stop it!” She proceeded to slap Moonbyul’s ass. _Did I just do that?_ She stared at her hand. _Why did I just do that? What is going on with me?_ _Why can’t I control myself?_ She covered her face, feeling embarrassed.

“Iiiiiiiii vaaaaasssss attttttaakkkkkkk!” She wiggled her way to her room, again very unsuccessfully.

 _What have I done wrong to deserve this?_ Solar cried a little on the inside. _It’s alright Solar. It’s alright. You can do this._

She took a deep breath and proceeded to help Moonbyul up. She put Moonbyul’s arm around her shoulder and slowly walked towards the other room. She was focused on the ground, making sure they wouldn’t tripped. She hadn’t had time to check the face of the other tenant. As they walked toward Moonbyul’s room, Solar began lecturing Moonbyul without realizing it.

“Why did you drink so much? It’s not good for you. Drinking won’t solve your problems. You should find a better solution. Don’t resort to hurting yourself. I—” Before she could finish, Solar was pushed against the wall inside the room. She was now face to face with the other tenant. She looked up and couldn’t believed her eyes. “Moonbyul,” her trembling lips spoke softly.

Moonbyul caressed Solar’s face and tears fell from her eyes. “You sound like her.”

“I—” At the sight of Moonbyul’s tears, Solar felt her heart shattered and she couldn’t held back her own tears.

“You look like her too.” She smiled sadly. “If she was here, she’ll say the same thing.”

 _Moonbyul—I—_ Her trembling lips moved but it was unable to find her voice.

“She can’t be here. She’ll never be by my side again. You must be a dream,” her voice shook. “But that’s fine. As long as I get to see her, I’ll be happy with a dream.”

_Moonbyul please don’t cry. Why—why can’t I say it?_

“It hurts, you know?” She pointed to her heart. “She left a wound here and it’s still bleeding.” Solar hugged Moonbyul and Moonbyul embraced Solar as they cried on each other shoulders. “Your warmth feels like hers too. This warmth that she took away with her. I miss her. I really do.” She hugged Solar even tighter.

“I miss you too,” she whispered.

“She’s back. After three years, she’s finally back. I want to see her, but what will I do if I hurt her again?” She paused and looked into Solar’s eyes. “Is that why you came? To ease this pain in my heart?”

“I—I don’t know.” She couldn’t break away from Moonbyul’s gaze.

Moonbyul dried the tears from Solar’s eyes, “Forgive me, even in my dream I could only make you cry.” She pulled Solar closer and kissed her forehead, then her eyelids, before she gently kissed her lips.


	4. Just a Dream, Nothing More

Their lips touched for the first time after three years. The sweetness of Moonbyul's kiss, the warmth of Moonbyul’s touch, it overwhelmed and embraced Solar all at once. The pain in Solar’s heart slowly filled itself with joy. As if she had returned to the beginning. Back to those moments where she knew only happiness. Back to a place she’d experienced nothing but bliss. Her mind went blank and Moonbyul became her one and only world again.

Solar caressed Moonbyul’s face under the moonlight and whispered, “everything will be alright.”

Moonbyul closed her eyes and rubbed gently against Solar’s hand. She smiled at Solar’s words and replied, “I know.”

She placed her hand on Solar’s, she never thought she could feel the warmth of Solar’s touch again. She knew it was just a dream, but this moment felt precious to her all the same. She opened her eyes and smiled brighter at the sight of the person she had never stopped loving.

“I know it’ll be,” she spoke sweetly, “because you’re here.”

They looked into each other eyes. The sense of longing they had for each other was pouring out. Their hands tightly intertwined as Moonbyul lower Solar to her back. Their lips touched once again, more passionately this time. Moonbyul gently bit Solar’s ear and kissed her neck. Her hand caressed the curves on Solar’s body.

Solar couldn’t refused Moonbyul’s embrace. It was as if the devil’s sweet temptation had reached out its hand and without thinking she accepted its offer. It pulled her down the cliff that stood before her, not knowing if she could survive. In that moment, even the slightest intention she had of escaping was vanquished.

She was ready to accept any punishment the heaven would dealt upon her heart in exchange for this momentary bliss. At least that was what she thought. Without realizing it, tears escaped from her eyes. She had no intention of crying, yet she could do naught to stop them.

“What’s wrong with me?” Solar spoke in a trembling voice.

Moonbyul stopped and smiled as she wiped away Solar’s tears, “it’s alright,” she said sweetly.

She kissed Solar’s forehead before laying down next to her. She placed her hand over her eyes as tears silently fell. They laid there without speaking. They felt the distance between them frozen in time. They wanted to get closer, but a raging river stood between them. They wanted to reach for each other, but afraid the currents would swept them further apart. They wanted to walk away, but their feet wouldn’t listen. They could only stood there watching one another, each standing on one side of the river. The sense of longing was the only thing that stayed with them.

Moonbyul eventually drifted off to sleep. Solar sat up and looked over at her. She reached out her hand to feel Moonbyul’s warmth once more but stopped midway. That momentary happiness had passed and now a trail of pain was left behind in her heart. Her tears wouldn’t stop no matter how much she begged them to. She smiled bitterly as she cried.

 _I wish we could go back._ _I wish all_ _of_ _our bad memories were just a dream._ _I wish_ _all of our pain would go away_ _. But no matter what we do, we can’t erase the past Byul ah._ She placed her head on her knees and wept silently as she watched Moonbyul.

The sunlight crept in through the window and embraced Solar’s feet. She looked up and smiled at the welcoming sight of a new day. She stood up and glanced at Moonbyul one last time. _Good morning Byul ah. I hope you have a good day. Let’s last night be our bittersweet dream._ She turned away and walked out the door, gently closing it behind her. Once she got into her room, she dropped onto her knees. An unbearable pain crept into her heart.

She gripped her chest, “bittersweet dream—” she chuckled bitterly as her tears dripped onto the floor.

Moonbyul awoke with the sun shining brightly into her eyes. Her tears still lingered at the tip of her eyelashes. She raised her hand against the sun and watched its light passed through the crevasses of her fingers. She tried to squeezed it in her hand as if she could vanquished it.

“Why couldn’t you stay away?” She cursed under her breath. “It wasn’t a beautiful dream—” she paused for a moment, “but I didn’t want it to end.”

She slowly sat up and tried to glare back at the sun, but could only sigh in defeat. She chuckled before letting out a groaned. She perked herself up and tapped her cheeks lightly.

“It’s a new day,” she spoke cheerily. “It’s nothing to be sad about. Even if it’s a dream,” she smiled at the thought, “I got to see her at least.”

She went outside and got the bucket she had tucked away in one corner of the yard, filled it with water, and proceeded to wash up. She noticed that the air was getting warmer. She looked up at the sky and realized that winter was really coming to an end.

 _Spring would be arriving soon Yong-Sun ah. How are you doing?_ _Are you also looking up at the sky? Are you thinking about me? Do you miss me as_ _much as I’_ _ve_ _miss_ _ed_ _you_ _?_ She smiled bitterly.

When Solar heard Moonbyul’s door opened, she felt as if her heart had leapt out of her chest. With each step Moonbyul took, she wondered if Moonbyul knew about last night. A part of her wanted Moonbyul to know, and yet she was scared of the events that would follow. When the footsteps disappeared, she felt a sadness looming over her, but a sense of relief also embraced her.

Her phone had been buzzing for a while so she decided to check it. There were a lot of messages and missed calls from Whee-In, but she was too tired to deal with it. She placed it back down and sat on her bed, burying her face into her hands.

The landlady arrived as Moonbyul was drying off, “hey! You’re back!” she said excitedly.

“Hello ma’am. It’s been awhile,” Moonbyul greeted her respectfully.

“Don’t be so courteous,” she almost sounded as if she was scolding Moonbyul. “How are you? Where were you?”

“I’m good. I’m sorry I haven’t been home much. Work kept me busy.”

“You shouldn’t overwork yourself. Here have some food,” she handed Moonbyul a tray filled with plates of food. “You’re too skinny. Take better care of yourself!” She scolded.

“Thank you, but how did you know I was back?”

“I didn’t!” she exclaimed.

“Then why did you bring food here?”

“Oh, there’s a new tenant living here.”

“A new tenant?”

“You haven’t met?”

“No, we haven’t.”

“She’s not up then?”

“I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“Well, she moved in yesterday. Nice girl. Very beautiful too,” she nudged Moonbyul jokingly.

“I’m sure she is.” She played along.

“You don’t have to sound so sarcastic about it.”

“I’m not. I swear,” she tried to sound serious.

“I’m sure you are,” the landlady rolled her eyes. “Well, help me make her feel welcome,” she looked at her watch. “I have to go. You should come home more.”

“I will. I will. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

Once the landlady was out of sight Moonbyul let out a sigh. She carefully carried the tray with food inside and placed it on the kitchen counter. She went over to Solar’s bedroom door and knocked a few times. She heard no response and decided to knock some more before calling out.

“Hello? Are you awake? Hello? Miss?”

When Solar heard the knocked on her door, she thought her heart had stopped for a moment. She looked up at the door and knew who was on the other side. A few more knocked came, with each it felt as if they were directly hitting against her heart. She got up and walked toward the door. She placed her hand on it and closed her eyes.

 _Byul ah, can you_ _feel me standing here?_ She wanted to respond but couldn’t find the courage.

When Moonbyul spoke, Solar felt each words as though they were a sharp knife slowly bleeding her. As though a single door had caused them to become strangers. _If I open this door,_ _will we become closer? H_ _ow will she react?_ She reached for the handle but stopped, _even if we were to reunite,_ _will it make us happier?_

“The landlady brought over some food. I’ll eat it all if you don’t wake up.”

Solar smiled as if Moonbyul had told a joke. _You were always a big eater._

Moonbyul sighed, “kids these days,” she mumbled.

_I’m older than you._

Moonbyul looked at her watch, “crap, I’m gonna be late.” She quickly scribbled down a note, placed it next to the food and dashed out.

_Don’t go Byul ah. Don’t go—_

Solar couldn’t find her voice or her courage to ask Moonbyul to stay. She limped against the door wishing Moonbyul would return. Although, she knew it wouldn’t come true and even if it did, she wouldn’t be able to face Moonbyul.

_Why did I even wish for it at all?_

She slid down the door and planted her face into her knees. She stayed there for a while before she dragged herself over to her bed and dropped onto it. _Would I be able to sleep in this state?_ The comfort of the bed gave her a slight sense of peace. Her heart, her mind, and her body were all exhausted. She eventually dozed off.

A loud noise woke Solar from her sleep, as if an eternal alarm clock were planted by her side. She had silence it many times but it kept on coming back. She grunted and grumbled but no matter what it wouldn’t go away. She finally opened her eyes, feeling tired and sluggish she begrudgingly picked up her phone.

“Hello?” she spoke in a weaken voice.

“UNNIE!” Whee-In screamed, “are you okay!? Did something happen? I've been trying to reach you! Why are you hanging up my call!?”

“No—I'm not okay—”

“WHY!? What happened!?”

“I just fell asleep and you woke me up,” she grumbled.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically. “So nothing happened last night?”

“What are you asking?”

“Nothing,” she laughed nervously. “Just making sure you’re okay.”

Solar sighed, “if you're asking about Moonbyul,” she paused and Whee-In became silent, “yes—I saw her—”

“Did—did something happened?” she asked hesitantly.

“I’m not sure—”

“What do you mean?”

“It's—” she paused again and Whee-In waited patiently for her response, “it was just a dream, nothing more.”

“A dream?”

“Yes, a dream,” she said sadly. “Anyway, I'm tired. I'm going back to bed. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Okay—”

Whee-In ended the call but she couldn’t help but feel worry. She paced around her house wondering what she should do. _Stupid. Stupid Whee-In! If you didn’t take her there she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation._ _How_ _can I help her_ _out of_ _this predicament?_ No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.

Hwasa was greeted by the sight of a worried Whee-In when she came out of the bath. She smiled and gave Whee-In a hug from behind.

“Relax,” she whispered into Whee-In’s ear.

Whee-In smiled when she heard Hwasa gentle voice. It helped ease her mind and calmed her down. Hwasa led her to the sofa and hugged her tightly.

“Don't worry.” She ran her fingers through Whee-In's hair. “They're both adults. They can handle themselves.”

“What if they can’t?”

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

“I don’t know—stuff—”

“Stuff?” She raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“You know—”

“Then, I’m sure it’s consented.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“What’s the problem then?”

“What if Yong-Sun Unnie leave again?”

“She’s not that weak,” she assured.

“But—”

“No buts!” She firmly stood her ground. “Stop worrying. Don’t furrow your brow anymore,” she tried to pushed them upward.

“Alright,” she accepted hesitantly, “what should we do then?”

“Nothing.”

“What!? Why not?”

“Unless they asked, I think we should stay out of it.”

“But I can’t stop worrying.”

“Try your best.” She got up from the sofa. “Beside Moonbyul still haven’t found out.”

“What?” Whee-In was confused, “but Yong-Sun Unnie said she saw her.”

“Simple,” she laughed, “she haven’t blow up my phone yet.”

Solar couldn’t fall back asleep after the call. She tried multiple times but it felt impossible. The glaring sunlight wasn’t much help either. She sat up and let out a long sigh. She lifted her heavy body off the bed and proceeded to the door before stopping in front of it. As if frozen, she stared blankly at it.

She wasn’t sure if anything else had happened while she was asleep. _Is Moonbyul back?_ Her heart quicken at the thought. _What if Moonbyul’s on the other side_ _?_ _What should I do then?_ She took a step away from the door. _What if something like last night happen again?_ _C_ _an_ _I_ _resist_ _her_ _?_ _W_ _ill_ _I resist her?_ Her head felt as though it was going to explode. _This migraine is killing me._

After debating for a while, she opened the door to take a peek. _There’s no one here._ She walked towards the front of the house and looked outside. _She’s not back yet_ _._ Solar felt a sting in her heart. She smiled wryly as she stared at the sky. She turned around and noticed some food on the kitchen counter. When she came closer, she saw the note Moonbyul had left beside it.

 _He_ _llo_ _and welcome_ _. I’m Moonbyul, your housemate. The food is probably cold by the time you read this, so heat it up before you eat it._ _Y_ _ou might get a stomachache_ _otherwise_ _. If you do, I'm_ _gonna_ _get_ _a scolding from_ _the landlady._ _So don’t. T_ _ake_ _care._

A smile silently crept across Solar’s face. She sighed a few times as she stared at her meal. She considered eating them cold but knew she would instantly regret it. She slowly heated them up one by one. What she wanted most was to collapsed onto the floor, but she knew her eyes would refuse to shut. She sighed again before she sat down to eat. As she was eating, Whee-In barged in, almost causing her to spit out her food.

“Yong-Sun Unnie! I came to visit you!”

“What are you doing here? I told you I was gonna rest—”

“But you're not! You’re eating.” She smiled, “I knew you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep.”

“You know me so well—”

“Of course I do. I’m your best buddy after all,” she proclaimed.

“So what brought you?”

“I came to help you get some sleep!” she exclaimed confidently.

“How?” she said skeptically.

“I’m hurt,” she jested. “You don’t believe me?”

“Not really—”

“I’ll prove it!” She pumped up her chest. “Finish your meal.”

As Solar was eating, Whee-In went into the kitchen and prepared a drink for her. She was too tired to notice that Whee-In had slipped something extra in it. Solar thanked Whee-In for her kindness as she slowly sipped away at it. Once she finished her meal, she felt her body became heavier. As if energy were slipping away from every inches of her body. Whee-In helped her back to her room and laid her down on her bed.

“So how are we doing this?” Solar was still skeptical.

“Simple. I’ll stay by your side till you fall asleep.”

“Just like that? You think I’d fall asleep?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“You sound confident.”

“Because I am!”

“If you say so.” She shrugged and shook her head.

“How about we sing a song together?”

“What should we sing?”

Whee-In thought for a moment, “how about, No Cool I’m Sorry?”

Solar smiled, “that brings back memories. Alright, let’s sing it,” she said happily.

As they sang, Solar felt that it was getting harder for her eyes to stay open, until eventually she fell asleep. Whee-In chuckled as she has masterfully carried out her plan.

“See Unnie. My plan has never fail me,” she carefully tucked Solar in, “sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She quietly left the room and went into the kitchen. She helped Solar with the dishes and cleaned the house in the process. When she was done, she glanced around one last time and made sure nothing was out of place. She was satisfied with the result so she proceeded to put on her jacket and shoes. With her purse in hand, she turned around to leave but something unexpected happened.

She glanced up at the tall figure, “Moonbyul—you’re home—” she mumbled, caught off guard she must have looked like she had just seen a ghost.

“What’s with that reaction?” She raised an eyebrow, “you really don’t want to see me that badly?”

“No—it’s not that—”

“What is it then?”

“It’s nothing.” She sighed, she was at a lost for words.

Moonbyul could see her friend was having a hard time so she changed the subject, “I haven’t seen you in forever. Give me a hug?” She extended her arms.

“Of course.” She smiled and hugged Moonbyul.

“I missed you!” She lifted Whee-In in the air and spun her around before setting her back down. “I thought you hated me.”

“Of course not,” she said sadly, “I’m sorry I didn’t visit more.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad to see you.”

“Me too,” she paused, “I’m glad to see you’re doing fine.”

“You don’t seem happy. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Whee-In reassured her.

There was a momentary silence before Moonbyul spoke again, “what brings you here?”

Whee-In had anticipated this questioned and wished that she wouldn’t have to answer it. It came nonetheless as she knew it was unavoidable. She was standing in her friend’s house, whom she hadn’t seen in many years. It would be weirder if Moonbyul didn’t asked her why she was there. That didn’t kept her from wishing for the impossible though. She sighed before she spoke.

“I—I came because—”

She wasn’t sure how she should explain why she was there. _Should I tell her that_ _Yong-Sun_ _U_ _nnie is living here? Should I just be straight with her?_ _What should I say?_ She pondered to herself.

“I’m here because—”

She paused again. She knew in doing so, she must have seemed strange to Moonbyul. She looked down and sighed. She was fidgeting with her fingers trying to find the best way to approached the subject. After pondering for a few moments, she thought it would be best if she told Moonbyul the truth. She was about to answer Moonbyul’s question when Moonbyul surprised her once again.

Moonbyul could tell something was bothering Whee-In. She didn’t want her friend to be put in a difficult situation, so she decided to help her out. She provided the reason for Whee-In.

“Are you here because you’re worried about me?”

“What?” She was caught by surprised when Moonbyul spoke.

“I found out she came back. Is that why you’re here? You came to check on me?”

“I—”

“It’s alright. You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”

Without thinking Whee-In just went along with the reason Moonbyul provided. They stood there looking down at their feet, an awkward silent crept over them. Moonbyul glanced outside and noticed the sun was setting. She checked the time on her watch and pondered for a few moments before she asked.

“It’s about time for dinner. Do you want to stay?”

“Alright—” Whee-In accepted. She felt guilty and couldn’t refused the offer.

Moonbyul was elated that Whee-In accepted to stay for dinner. She was almost certain Whee-In would refuse, but to her surprise that wasn’t the case. She was really happy and thought to invite the new tenant to join them as well. She went over to Solar’s door  and was about to knock when a noise caught her attention.

“DON’T!” Whee-In screeched.

She was taken aback by Whee-In sudden screamed. She turned around and looked at Whee-In. “Is something wrong?” She raised an eyebrow.

Whee-In realized she could’ve done that differently. She panicked a little as she scrambled to find an excuse. “I—I—”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She laughed nervously. “A-are you looking for that girl?”

“You met my new housemate?”

“B-briefly—S-she left already.”

Whee-In wasn’t sure why she was spouting one lie after another. She felt guiltier as she looked at Moonbyul, but she couldn’t stop herself either. It just flowed out naturally and she decided to follow along.

“She did?”

“Yeah, not long before you got home actually.”

“I see—”

“Did you need her for something?”

“I was gonna ask if she wanted to have dinner with us.” She smiled sweetly.

“Are you two closed?”

“Not at all,” Moonbyul replied without hesitation and headed into the kitchen to prepped dinner. “I’d say we’re practically stranger. She just moved in yesterday. I still haven’t met her.”

“I see—” she said sullenly. “Do you need any help?”

“I’ll be fine. Just sit there and wait,” she assured her.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Whee-In glanced over at Solar’s bedroom door and sighed sadly. _Unnie, am I doing the right thing?_ She turned away and looked up at the night sky. The moon was bright and beautiful yet her heart felt heavy. She was always the most cheerful person and yet at this moment even she found it hard to crack a smile. She closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest, she had hoped in doing so it would eased her guilt. She smiled wryly. _I’m glad it didn’t._

“Hey, you okay?” She snapped Whee-In out of her trance.

“Y-yeah.” She looked up at her and smiled.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing important.”

“Well, dinner’s ready.”

Whee-In turned around and saw that everything was already set. Moonbyul had placed the dinning table near the door so they could enjoy the night view with their meal. It was something she had always done. Atop the table were two bowls of stew, steamed slowly escaping from them. The aroma filled the air and tickled Whee-In’s nose, making her hungry. Besides the stew were plates of vegetables, each with its own unique charm. 

“Thank you for the meal. Sorry I wasn’t any help.”

“Don’t worry about it. I hope you’ll like it.”

“They look delicious.”

When Whee-In took a bite of the stew; she felt a warmth embracing her as if she had found a fire in the midst of a winter storm. Moonbyul kindness had helped calm her trouble heart. She looked up and smiled at Moonbyul, silently thanking her. She felt the tears building up in her eyes.

“How is it?”

“It’s really good,” her voice trembled slightly, almost as if she could break down in tears at any given moment.

“If it’s bad, you don’t have to force it—”

“It’s delicious. I mean it.”

“But—you’re—” Moonbyul was worried.

She smiled, “I was just thinking that this was nice. Having dinner together.”

Moonbyul was relieved, “I think so too.”

They ate in silence while nature played for them a cacophony. The whistling wind acted as the foundation, the chirping insects and whispered of animals provided the instruments. They knew they would never be in-tuned so they tried to outdo one another, each singing to their own melody.

“I kissed Yong-Sun last night,” Moonbyul said without realizing.

“WHAT!?” Whee-In choked on her food, “you did what?”

“Oh, did I said that out loud?”

“You kissed who!?” Whee-In’s mind was occupied with Moonbyul’s comment.

“Ah.” She was taken aback by Whee-In’s reaction. “It was just a dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah. I had a dream about Yong-Sun.” She felt a bit weird as she answered Whee-In, “we kissed in my dream.”

“A-a dream? Y-you two kissed?”

“Why are you reacting that way?”

“I—I—”

 _A dream? Didn’t_ _Yong-Sun_ _U_ _nnie said the same thing earlier? Did that really happen between them?_ Whee-In was speechless as she tried to process the information.

“Are you okay?”

She looked up at Moonbyul, still a bit shocked, and replied, “yes.”

“That’s good—”

Moonbyul felt that Whee-In was a bit off somehow, but couldn’t figured out what. The awkwardness between them were building up. They both tried to speak at one point or another but decided against it. In the end, they finished their meal in silence. 

“Let me help you clean,” Whee-In offered.

“It’s fine.” She looked at her watch, “it’s getting late. Hwasa gonna be worried.”

“But—”

“I don’t want to be lecture by Hwasa.” She rejected Whee-In protest. 

“Alright then.” She sighed in defeat.

She grabbed her belongings and Moonbyul called a cab for her. They walked outside  and waited for a few moments before it arrived. Whee-In hugged Moonbyul, thanked her for her hospitality before getting in the cab and bade her farewell. 

W hen Moonbyul got back into the house, the first thing she did was set aside a meal for her housemate. She placed it in the fridge and attached a note to the door. She proceeded to clean the dishes and kitchen before she went out t o the porch. She  closed her eyes,  stretched out her arms and took in a large breath of fresh air.  _I dreamt of Yong-Sun. I got to see Whee-In again. What a good day!_ She smiled brightly as if a burden had been lifted from her heart.

She laid down on the porch and stared up at the sky. _It’_ _s_ _truly a beautiful night._ She could see the lights from the city not far away. They sparkled and shined as though they were the stars in the sky. She closed her eyes and hummed a soft melody. She fell asleep as the gentle wind caressed her face.

A loud crashed woke her from her slumber. _Where did that came from?_ She got up and looked inside the house but no one was in sight. _Where is it?_ She carefully walked in. She made sure to check her surroundings. Then she heard it again. _The other tenant’s room?_ _What is she doing in there?_ She sighed and went to knock on the door.

“Are you okay?” She asked grumpily, “what was that noise?” No one responded. “Hey! Can you hear me?” There was still no replied so she placed her ear on the door. She tried to access the situation but heard nothing else. “If you don’t say anything I’m coming in! Hello?” Moonbyul waited for a few moments but there was only silence. “That does it,” she mumbled, “I’m coming in!”

Solar was on the floor, she held her hand to her forehead, her hair covered most of her face. The light of the moon was shining into her room, embracing a part of her body. Moonbyul turned on the light and rushed over to her side.

“Miss, are you okay?” She shook Solar’s shoulder.

 _Who’s there?_ Solar felt dizzy, everything was hazy. She couldn’t held herself up and fell into Moonbyul’s chest. 

“Miss, you’re being too blunt,” she tried to crack a joke.

_Is someone calling me? What is this feeling?_

“Miss? Miss?” She shook her.

_Let me stay like this for a_ _l_ _ittle while_ _._

“Say something. Miss? Hello?” Moonbyul was worried, she placed her hand on Solar’s forehead to check her temperature. “She’s burning up.”

She brushed the girl’s hair aside to check if she had sustained any injuries, but what she saw made her froze in place. The person she had longed for was right in front of her. Tears fell down her eyes and the only word to leave her lips was—

“Yong-Sun—”


	5. Back to Square One

“Yong-Sun—” Moonbyul muttered.

The sight of Solar brought about an indescribable pain and happiness. As though it was choking her; it left her unable to breathe, unable to speak, unable to move. As if she was a bird gliding freely through the air. The wind brushed against her back and rushed along to accompany her. She happily smiled and danced with the wind, without the shackles of burden that tied her down.

When she was most ecstatic, a sharp pain ripped open her chest. She looked down to discover her blood trickling out from an open wound. She flapped her wings harder to escape her destined fate, just to find they were too heavy to lift. She tried to fight against the odds and hoped she would survive, however in a blink of an eye she was already plunging towards the earth. A hunter was happily smirking in the distant for his latest trophy. She felt her body shattered when the ground welcomed her into its fold. She stared helplessly into the distance as each lifeless breath escaped from her. The darkness crawled slowly towards her and consumed everything it touched, before it swallowed her.

She wanted to smile but tears left her eyes instead. She wanted to speak but her lips could only tremble as they opened. She wanted to hold Solar tighter but afraid that if she did, Solar would flowed through the crevasses of her fingers. Just like the dry desert sand, no matter how tightly she gripped it in her hands, it would still leave her in the end. She could only closed her eyes and wept silently; unable to understand the reason behind her sadness. Unable to defend herself against the feeling of helplessness as it settled in. Her tears dripped onto Solar’s cheeksand stirred Solar from her slumber.

_What’s_ _g_ _oing on_ _?_ _Is someone crying?_

Solar opened her eyes but a heavy fog had settled in, everything around her was hidden behind its veil. She tried to blink as if she was silently ordering it to dissipate. It, however, had deemed itself the owner of her eyesight and refused to disappear. The world was hazy and she felt too weak to fight. As though a boulder had proudly rolled atop of her. It crushed her beneath it mighty body and forced her to bear its weight. She tried to move but her limbs were giving her a hard time. She felt the droplets of water once more as it landed on her face and flowed down her cheeks. She looked up to find a faded figure.

_Who is it? Is_ _t_ _his person_ _crying because of me?_

She raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears, “why are you crying?” she said in a weak voice.

Moonbyul was pleasantly surprised by the gentle touch that caressed her face, and the sweet voice that followed. She merged their hands together before she opened her eyes. She looked at Solar; her trembled lips parted, but still her voice couldn’t find its way through. She smiled and shook her head.

“Are you hurt?” Solar questioned. Moonbyul wanted to reply but her voice didn’t want to comply. Solar could feel the answer being given to her. “That’s good—” she smiled as her consciousness began to fade once more.

“A-are you okay?” Moonbyul finally found her voice although it was shaking.

“I’m—I’m okay—,” she assured, “you shouldn’t—shou—cry any—”

“Yong-Sun? Yong-Sun!?” She gently shook Solar.

_Don’t—_ _d_ _on’t_ _shake me. I’m—_ _I’m really_ _tired. Let me rest,_ _please_ _._

“Yong-Sun!”

_Don’t—_ _don’t_ _scream._ _Please_ _—_ _d_ _on’t—_ _I—_

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Moonbyul took a moment to compose herself as Solar fell unconscious. She sniffled and quickly wiped away her tears. She picked Solar up in her arms and laid her down on the bed. She checked Solar’s temperature once more before she scanned her body. _There was a loud_ _crashing_ _noise earlier_ _._ _I_ _hope she wasn’t hurt._ She carefully examined Solar a few more times and felt relieved when she found nothing serious.

She stared at Solar’s sleeping face and smiled childishly, her heart was filled with joy. As if by instinct, she tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned down to give Solar a kiss. As their lips were about to touch, she froze. She opened her eyes and realized she was no longer in a position to do something like that. _I shouldn’t. It’s not something she would’ve wanted._ She could feel Solar’s warm breath against her skin and it made her wish she could feel it even more. She sighed before she backed away. It didn’t matter how much she hated it or how it made her felt. She knew it was the right thing to do.

She left the room for a few moments and came back with cold water and a rag. She placed the bowl down on the nearby table and dampened the cloth. She wrung out most of the water before she proceeded to wipe the sweat off of Solar’s body. She was meticulous but not overzealous in her action. She dampened the cloth once again before she placed it on Solar’s forehead. Once she was finished, she sat down beside Solar’s bed and held onto Solar’s hand before she spoke.

“Yong-Sun ah,” she paused for a moment, “long time no see.”

She tilted her head downward and sighed. _What am I doing?_ She looked back at Solar with one brow raised.

“If you’re awake, you’d think I’m being silly. You might even laugh,” she thought about it for a second, “that might not be so bad. I’d like to see that actually.”

She sighed once more. _I’m speaking to an unconscious person._ _What_ _i_ _s wrong with me_ _?_

“Truthfully, I wanted to tell you that I miss you,” she smiled bitterly, “because I really do,” tears began to form at the tip of her eyes, “silly don’t you think? I’ve waited this long, and yet—and yet I choose to tell you now.”

 _I’m a coward, don’t you think so?_ _Where did my courage go when I need it?_ She scoffed and chuckled at her own action.

“I don’t think I’d be able to tell you when you’re awake,” she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she tried to keep herself from tearing up, “and it pains me more than I thought it would.”

She gripped her chest as she tried to subdue the pain from within. _I still couldn’t keep my tears from falling._ She sniffled as she wiped them away. _Am I useless,_ _I wonder_ _?_ _Or is it the pain you brought_ _with you_ _is just too much_ _for me_ _to bear?_

“Three years I’ve waited—longed for this day—for this reunion,” she gritted her teeth, “three years, Yong-Sun ah—”

 _D_ _id you know it felt like an eternity?_ _Did you know I thought it would never end?_ _Did you feel the same way?_ She smiled bitterly.

“When I heard you were back. I was so happy. I just wanted to be next to you. I wanted to hug you, to kiss you—but I knew—I knew—” she chuckled bitterly.

_I realized that I couldn’t anymore._ _I’d no right to. When_ _t_ _hat reality struck me,_ _the_ _pain was unbearable._ _I didn’t know what to do._

“It felt like I was going crazy.”

_I wanted to go crazy._ _I might have gone crazy._

“I wanted to forget—”

_I wanted t_ _o throw it all away._ _I wanted t_ _o just destroy everything in my path._

She sighed before she continued, “some detective I turned out to be,” she mocked, “destroying instead of defending.”

She laid her head down next to Solar as she gently outline the curves of Solar’s face with her finger. _I never thought we’d be able to meet again so soon._ _I never thought we’d be able to meet again at all._ _You don’t know how happy seeing you again made me feel._ She saw Solar’s smile and smiled along.

“Are you having a good dream? I hope you are,” she swept Solar’s hair aside, “I hope you’ll never have to be sad again.”

 _I know_ _you’d tell me_ _that’s just wishful_ _thinking_ _, but let me dream a little,_ _okay?_ She smiled sweetly. _I love you Yong-Sun ah. Can I stay beside you like this, even if it’s just for a little while?_

“If you don’t say anything, then I’m gonna stay,” she whispered, “3–2–1” she counted slowly, “I’m staying then.”

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. She dreamt of the first time she met Solar. It was love at first sight. She thought Solar was the most beautiful girl she had ever laid her eyes on. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Solar. Solar’s smile could brighten up even the cloudiest of days. It could dragged her out from the depth of despair and brought joy into her heart. Solar was simply mesmerizing.

She would always tease Solar to get attention, she knew it was childish but she couldn’t help herself. Solar would retaliate and slapped her arm, but that didn’t stop her from coming back for more. It was as though their meeting was mandated by heaven, an addiction she knew she would never be able to get rid of. But it was a fate she was willing to embrace. The day she professed her love, her heart was beating out of control. She felt like she was hyperventilating and stuttered when she spoke. She was overjoyed when Solar admitted to feeling the same way. She hugged Solar tightly and spun her around in the air. She had never forgotten that moment.

The sun crept slowly onto Solar’s eyes and stirred her from her slumber. She squeezed her eyes together and grunted softly in protest, but it was just too bright to be blocked out. Feeling drained of energy, she held up her hand to give herself some shade before she opened her eyes to welcome a new day.

 _I feel like shit. What did Whee-In do to me?_ She held her head. _S_ _he and I will have a good chat_ _later._

She turned on her side and lifted herself up onto her elbow. She was about to sit up when she froze in place. What had greeted her so early in the morning? Moonbyul’s sleeping face. _What-what is she doing in here?_ _How long had she been in here?_ _What if I did something weird? Did I do something weird? Did I?_ She felt faint, lost her balance and fell forward. Her face landed just inches away from Moonbyul’s.

The sudden noise woke Moonbyul. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by Solar rapidly blinking eyes. _Why is she so close? What-_ _what_ _was she doing?_ _Why is she blinking so fast?_ _Is this some sort of test?_ _Should I also be blinking that fast?_ She decided to follow what Solar was doing.

Solar furrowed her brow. _Why_ _i_ _s her eyes doing that_ _? What’s going on?_ _Now she’s furrowing her brow. Is she sending me a message? What is she trying to say?_ Solar stared at Moonbyul as she tried to figure out the hidden message, but there were none to be found. Slowly she was drawn in by Moonbyul’s gaze. She felt her heart beating quicker as her breathing became uneven. It felt impossible to detach herself from the temptation of the abyss that was staring back at her. It sweet allure dragging her in deeper and tightening its control over her. When she realized what was happening, she quickly pulled away.

“W-what are you doing in here?”

Moonbyul also sat up from where she lay, “I heard a loud noise last night,” she began nonchalantly, “when I called out to you, you didn’t answer so I came in. How are you feeling?”

“I-I’m fine, thank you. Did you know I was living here?”

“Not until I saw you last night. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Y-yes—thank you for last night. I’m sorry for the trouble I cause—”

Moonbyul felt her heart stung a little at Solar’s modest words. It was as if they were stranger. She smiled wryly, “it—it wasn’t any trouble.”

“I’m—I’m really sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it,” she perked herself up and tried to lighten the mood. “Do you need anything?”

“No—”

“D-do you want me to leave?” she said hesitantly. Solar felt a guilt slowly building up inside of her. She turned away without responding. “I-I understand—”

She sighed as she got up onto her feet. She looked at Solar’s pained expression and felt her heart aching. She wanted to reach out her hand to comfort Solar but knew it was unwanted. She smiled bitterly as she turned away. When she got to the door, she hesitated for a moment before she opened it. She turned her head back slightly and spoke.

“You’re still weak so don’t exert yourself. If you need anything, call me. I’ll get it for you, okay?” She sighed softly, “let me do at least that.”

Moonbyul closed the door gently behind her. She made sure that Solar couldn’t see the tears that had already begun flowing down her face. She limped against the door and buried her face into her hand as she crumbled onto the floor. _I couldn’t keep up the tough act until the very end. I’m sorry._ She placed her hand on the door and softly rubbed her head against it. _Why can’t I be closer? Why can’t I comfort her?_ She turned away, hugged her legs against her chest and wept silently.

Once the door was closed and Moonbyul stood on the other side, Solar held her chest and broke out in tears. _I’m sorry, Byul-ah. I’m sorry—_ She walked to the door and placed her hand on it before she fell to her knees. Her tears dripped onto the ground as her hand slipped off of the door. _I’m sorry for being a coward. Forgive me._ As she knelt there; she wanted to scream to release the pain in her heart, but she could only do so silently. _I’m sorry I c_ _ouldn’t_ _give you comfort._

 _Only a wall separate us—and yet—it feels like you’re further than I_ _c_ _an_ _reach._ They thought in unison.

 _If I can’t_ _even give her_ _comfort, what right do I have to be next to her?_ _What right do I have to long for her_ _l_ _ove_ _?_ Moonbyul got up and dragged herself into the corner of the house near her own room. The shadow enveloped her being and kept the sunlight from reaching her. As if she was a lifeless decoration, forgotten by the owner. Just another piece of furniture longing for a bit of attention, but could only fade into the background. She sat there silently, as though she was waiting for the moment when her existence ceased to be.

 _Three years ha_ _ve_ _passed and yet the pain is still fresh._ Solar smiled bitterly. _We’re hurt. We’re tired. Why must life torment us like this?_ She let out a long sigh as she leaned her back against the door. _I_ _c_ _ould only bring_ _sadness_ _to her_ _. It would have been better_ _i_ _f we didn’t meet again_ _._ _And yet here we are—_ Solar placed her head on her knees. Her tears trickled down her legs as she scribbled Moonbyul’s name on the floor with her finger. 

The sun had risen high above in the sky, it welcomed all to another beautiful day. The birds were singing a happy tune outside, oblivious and ignorant to the people crying within. Whee-In arrived at the house and let herself in with the spare key Solar had provided for her. She jiggled the key happily before tucking it away.

 _I wonder if_ _Yong-Sun U_ _nnie is awake. We can have lunch together._ She smiled at the prospect. _Hopefully Moonbyul is out._ She sighed. _I_ _a_ _lready feel_ _guilty_ _enough_ _when I see her._ _I don’t know what to do if I have to face her_ _again_ _._ _What should I do if she’s_ _a_ _round_ _?_ She hesitated to enter the house. _I shouldn’t think too much on it._ _It’s noon, she shouldn’t be home._ _Yeah, she must not be._ She tapped her face to perk herself up. _Let’s go find_ _Yong-Sun U_ _nnie first._

Whee-In came through the front door and called out in a low voice, “Unnie are you here?”

“Which one are you looking for?”

A stern voice emitted from the darkness behind her. The voice did not sound happy let alone welcoming. _Why is it her? Of the two, why her?_ Whee-In closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and sighed. _C_ _an my luck get any wors_ _e_ _?_ When she turned around, an intimidating Moonbyul was already towering over her.

Moonbyul seemed calm with an almost deadly presence. Her glare was like a dagger, sharped enough to pierce through anything. Her hands were tighten into fists and her body slightly trembled in anger. She looked as though she was getting ready to interrogate a criminal. She gritted her teeth and silently grunted as she awaited Whee-In’s answer.

“Well? Which one is it? Who are you calling?”

“By your question, I take it that you know,” Whee-In answered firmly.

Moonbyul bit her lip and scoffed slightly, her expression seemed as though she was about to throw a punch. “Do you think it’s funny?” she questioned angrily, “were you having fun? Were you laughing!?” She scorned, “yes,” she nodded and stretched out her arms, before she tapped her chest to mark herself as a target, “yes, laughed at this person! This miserable person!”

Whee-In shook her head, “NO!—that wasn’t my intention!”

“Then what!?” She raised her voice and gritted her teeth, “what was your intention?”

“I—It—It wasn’t—I—I”

“It wasn’t what!?” She scorned, “I was a fool. I should’ve known something was up yesterday. You coming here—showing up all of a sudden—” she laughed bitterly. “To think I even made an excuse for you.”

“I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to—.”

“Then why? Why did you lie? Why? You knew I miss her. You knew I wanted to see her. And she was right there!” She pointed to Solar’s room. She bit her lips harder as tears fell from her eyes, “so why? Why did you lie to me? Do you hate me that much?”

She felt a stung in her heart as she looked at Moonbyul, “I don’t know why I lied,” she closed her eyes and turned away as she answered. “I don’t hate you. I never did,” she shook her head, “but at that moment—I—I don’t know why I did it.” She began tearing up, “it didn’t feel good for me either.”

“How am I suppose to believe you?”

“Believe what you want.” She wiped away her tears and composed herself. “It’s the truth.”

Moonbyul nodded her head mockingly, “I never knew you could be such a cold hearted person.”

She scoffed, “maybe—but would it have made a difference?”

“What!?”

“Would it have made a difference if I told you? You know nothing good will come out of the two of you meeting again.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

“You’re right,” Whee-In nodded, “it’s not,” she paused and with a stern look she replied, “I also have no obligation to tell you anything.”

“When did you become so cruel?”

“Think what you will. I’m only trying to protect Yong-Sun Unnie from getting hurt.”

“What are you insinuating?” she questioned angrily.

“You know as well as I—”

“You have no right!” Moonbyul raised her voice, her tears continued flowing down her face as she tighten her fists, “you don’t know what happened—you have no right—” she gritted her teeth.

“You’re right. I don’t know what happened, but I saw where it lead.”

She chuckled bitterly, “you’re right. It’s my fault! I brought this upon myself!”

“Moonbyul—it’s not that I want to blame you—”

“You don’t need to say anything else.”

“Listen—”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Solar pressed her hands against her ears and tried to block out the argument. The more she tried to ignore it, the deeper each word cuts her. She couldn’t stand by and watch her friends hurt each other any longer. She stood up, wiped away her tears and slammed open the door.

“Enough!” She screamed, “enough already,” tears still lingered in her eyes.

“Yong-Sun—”

“Unnie—I—”

“Whee-In ah, go home,” she paused, “please.”

“I’m sorry—” Whee-In left without another word.

Solar collapsed and Moonbyul rushed over to her. “Are you alright?” Moonbyul questioned anxiously.

“I’ll be okay.” She tried to smile.

“I’m sorry for making a ruckus—”

“You don’t have to apologize.” She looked up and wiped Moonbyul’s tears. “Don’t let what Whee-In say bother you. She didn’t mean it.”

“Don’t worry about that. You haven’t eaten. Are you hungry?”

She shook her head, “no—I don’t have an appetite.”

“You’re still recovering. You should eat a little!” she was adamant.

“Alright. I’ll listen to you.”

“Good,” she ruffled Solar’s hair.

“Stop it!” She slapped Moonbyul’s hand away and Moonbyul laughed happily. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing,” she couldn’t stop smiling. “Let me help you to your seat.”

Solar raised an eyebrow but swept the issue aside before she said, “I have to wash up first.”

“I’ll take you there then.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Solar placed her hand on the wall for support as she slowly headed for the restroom. As though she was on a long hike, the distance seemed immeasurable. _Slow and steady. I’ll make it there._ She was half way there when her legs gave out. As she braced herself for the impact, she was pulled out of harms way.

Moonbyul was worried so she followed closely behind Solar. Solar was concentrating on something else so she didn’t notice. When Solar was falling, Moonbyul grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her up. She wrapped her arm around Solar’s waist and embraced her tightly. The warmth of their bodies mixing together, slowly heating up to the beat of their hearts.

Solar looked up and met Moonbyul’s gaze. It made her breathless and unable to think clearly. Mesmerized by their allure, it was getting harder for her to pulled herself away.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.” Solar blushed as she turned away.

Moonbyul smiled happily, she could feel Solar’s heart beating quicker. “Let me help you,” she whispered sweetly.

“Okay,” She nodded. Solar raised an eyebrow in confusion, noticing Moonbyul’s mischievous smile after she had agree to let Moonbyul help her. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“You’ll see.” Moonbyul lifted Solar into the air.

Solar let out a small screeched, “What are you doing!?”

“Helping you.” She winked.

“I didn’t mean like this!”

“Don’t squirm or we’d both fall!”

“You’re unbelievable!”

“I know,” she smirked.

Solar could only admit defeat. She wrapped her arms around Moonbyul’s shoulders as Moonbyul carried her to the restroom.

“Do you need anymore help?” Moonbyul asked sweetly.

“Put me down first,” she commanded.

“Okay~,” she obliged, “so need any help?”

Solar glared at her and answered bluntly, “no.”

“What if you—”

“No!”

“But—”

“Go. Go. Go,” she pushed Moonbyul out the door.

As Solar was closing the door, Moonbyul stopped it with one hand and spoke coolly.

“If you need me, call,” she winked.

“Fine! Go away!”

Moonbyul smiled happily as she headed to the kitchen to prepare the food. _This is the first time I’m cooking for her._ She took a few deep breaths. _Calm down Moonbyul. It’ll be okay. You’ll be fine._ She had been honing her cooking skills since Solar left and was quite confident in her ability. At least she was before her emotional turmoil about cooking for Solar. _I’ve never felt like this about cooking. Why am I so nervous now?_

She grabbed her dusty cookbook from the top of the cabinet. She hadn’t had the need to use it for over two years. She would normally cook whatever she felt like eating. In her nervousness she decided to blow the dust off instead of wiping it. The dust raged and flew at her in a fury, causing her to cough. After it settled, she quickly flipped through the pages to try and find a suitable dish. _What should I cook?_ _What if she doesn’t like_ _w_ _hat I cook_ _?_ _What should I do if she doesn’t?_

Solar stared at herself in the mirror. She felt her heart beating quicker and her face became hotter every time she remembered how close Moonbyul was. She splashed herself with cold water to calm down. _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it._ She took a few deep breaths before she continued washing up. When she was done, she carefully walked to the kitchen and sat down at the counter.

Moonbyul still wasn’t sure what she wanted to make. _What if I started cutting stuff? It might give me an idea of what to make._ _Let’s do that!_ She grabbed some vegetables but was overzealous with how much she could carry. She dropped a few on the floor. When she bent down to pick them up, she dropped some more. It was almost an endless cycle until she decided to put them on the counter one at a time. She was so nervous she didn’t notice Solar was watching her.

Solar sat there for ten minutes and watched Moonbyul frantic kitchen episode without speaking. _Is this how she normally cook? It’s quite interesting._ She smiled happily without once detaching her gaze from Moonbyul. She had always enjoyed watching Moonbyul, whether Moonbyul was being serious or silly.

“Do you need help?” She finally asked.

“W-When did you get there?”

“Not long ago. Need help?”

“N-no! I’ll be fine!” she proclaimed confidently.

“Sure?”

“Of course!” She nodded and laughed nervously.

As she cut the vegetables she kept glancing over at Solar as though Solar might vanished if she didn’t. Solar furrowed her brow when she noticed Moonbyul glancing in her direction.

“Focus,” she scolded.

“Ow—” Moonbyul cut her finger.

Solar quickly rushed over to Moonbyul, “Are you okay?” she questioned as she grabbed Moonbyul’s hand. “I told you to focus!” she hissed. “Where are the bandages? And disinfectant?”

Instead of answering Solar’s questions, Moonbyul laughed happily and commented, “I’m happy.”

“What!? What are you saying!? You’re bleeding for god sake!”

“I’m happy because you care. I’m happy to see you again.” She pulled her closer and hugged her tightly, “I’m happy that I can hug you like this. I miss you.”

Solar was hesitant for a moment but she returned Moonbyul’s affection and hugged her, “I miss you too.”

Moonbyul loosen her gripped and looked at Solar, “what did you just say?”

“I said that I miss—” Moonbyul started smiling like an idiot before Solar could even finish her sentence. Solar realized Moonbyul was only pretending and fumed a little. “This person—” she hissed, “do you want to get hit?”

Moonbyul hugged her again, “you don’t know how happy that made me feel.”

 _Calm down Solar. Calm down. This dolt deserved to get hit but calm down._ She suppressed her urges before she questioned Moonbyul once more. “Where’s the first aid?”

“You’re still weak,” she brought Solar back to her seat, “sit still. I’ll get it.”

“But—”

“Just sit there,” she commanded.

Moonbyul went to the restroom and grabbed the first aid from the medicine cabinet. She brought it back to Solar and placed it on the kitchen counter. She sat down next to Solar so Solar could take a look at her wound. Solar carefully disinfected it, blowing on the wound as though that would keep it from hurting. She bandaged it after she was done, meanwhile Moonbyul was staring at her and laughing like a child high on sugar.

“I’ll finish cooking,” Solar suggested.

“No, I’ll do it.”

“But—”

“No buts. I want to!” She was adamant.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“Alright,” Solar reluctantly agreed.

Although she agreed to Moonbyul’s request, Solar still went into the kitchen and helped Moonbyul prepared their meal. Moonbyul was afraid Solar might overexert herself so she tried to do as much of the work as possible. It took them about half an hour before the food was done. As she was setting up the table, she turned and asked Solar.

“Where do you want to sit?”

“Anywhere is fine.”

“How about here? It’ll be warmer this way.” Moonbyul placed the table near the heater.

“That’s fine. Thank you.”

“If you feel uncomfortable tell me, okay?”

“Alright.”

Solar was unsure about her relationship with Moonbyul. _What are we to each other? What will become of us?_ She sighed softly. _Are we making the same mistake? Are we just walking down the same path as we did back then?_ She looked up at Moonbyul, who was smiling happily on the other side of the table. She gave Moonbyul a smile but knew it wasn’t as happy as she wanted it to be.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Solar responded softly.

 _Would I be able to hold onto this happiness forever?_ Moonbyul felt a stung on her heart at the thought. _She’s sitting across from me and yet—what is this foreign feeling?_ _Why does it feel like the distance between us hasn’t gotten any closer?_ She looked at Solar and gave the best smile she could mustered. _I_ _shouldn’t_ _worry her._

The future was even more uncertain than it was before. Solar knew she wouldn’t be able to resist Moonbyul’s approach. She knew she would eventually succumbed to the sweetness of the devil’s temptation. Although its claws dug deep into her heart and bled her dry, its mesmerizing allured had never failed to drag her in. When she attempted to turn it away at every corner, she was never successful, not even once. She wanted to continue their long awaited love but was afraid of what the future had in store for them.

 _What if we stay like this?_ Solar looked down and smiled bitterly. _If we stay like this, it might be for the best. Just friends and nothing more. This way you_ _can_ _always smile brightly like you are now. This way my love_ _will not_ _hurt you anymore._ She looked up at Moonbyul, who gave her a big grinned. _Yes, maybe like this is the best for the both of us._


	6. What Happened Between Us (The Past Chapter 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past Part 1 [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

The night sky was beautifully lit as the stars wrapped themselves around the moon. The wind rustled the leaves of the forest, which surrounded them for miles all around. The early birds had gone to bed, while the night owls signaled their arrival, becoming a new instrument in nature’s cacophony. A warm fire flickered slightly as it consumed the crackling wood beneath it, its insatiable flame devouring everything it touched.

A few branches were angled downward towards the fire, skewered onto the end of each stick was a marshmallow. They slightly melted and collapsed as they roasted; the smell wafted through the air and stirred the attendees’ hunger.

“That smells good,” Solar took a whiff.

“Yeah,” Moonbyul nodded, “let’s finish setting up this—wait, what’s that smell,” she took a moment to confirm her suspicion. “It’s burning. It’s burning!”

They quickly rushed over to the fire and to their chagrin, they saw the smoldering marshmallows rolling about in the fire pit.

“What a waste,” Solar pouted. “They’ve fallen off!” She stared in horror as the fallen marshmallows continued to disintegrate.

“No worries. No worries,” Moonbyul reassured her, “the next ones will be better.” She tapped her chest confidently.

“Really?”

“Of course! Leave it to me.” She exclaimed. “I’ll make some delicious S’mores for you!”

“Okay,” Solar smiled and nodded, “you’re the best,” she gave Moonbyul a quick peck on the lips.

Moonbyul scratched her head as she smiled shyly.

“Oh crap, our tent!”

Moonbyul suddenly recalled that she was in the midst of setting up their sleeping area when she had to abandon it partway through. She turned toward the tent and sighed at its sorry state. It had partly collapsed as though it was desperately trying to garner some attention.

“It’s fine. It’s fine,” Solar reassured. “We can fix it. We can fix it!” She said happily.

Moonbyul smiled sweetly and nodded.

“What a disaster.” She mumbled to herself. “I’d even studied up on camping beforehand to show that I had some experience.”

 _I wonder if she_ _took notice of my lack of camping skills,_ Solar thought to herself. _But then, it seem_ _s_ _we’re both pretty terrible at this._

They smiled at each other nervously before heading back to their tent. They checked the instructions once again before they continued setting it up. It wasn’t long before they finished and laid out their sleeping bags inside. They double checked to make sure everything was good before they went back to making S’mores.

This time they sat by the fire; Moonbyul was in charge of holding their marshmallow sticks in the proper orientation. Meanwhile, Solar grabbed the acoustic guitar she’d brought along and started playing. Her elegant fingers gracefully plucked the strings as she seamlessly moved from one chord to the next. The music stole Moonbyul’s heart and attention, almost causing her to drop the marshmallow sticks into the fire pit once again. Solar giggled at the frantic Moonbyul, who quickly yanked their food out of harm’s way.

“You’re not helping!”

“But your face—it’s so funny!” She held onto her stomach as she laughed. “Oh it hurts too much!” She proclaimed without stopping.

Moonbyul sighed before a devilish smirked formed on her face. She sneakily opened the jar of chocolate hazelnut spread while Solar was busy making fun of her. She dug some out with her fingers and turned back toward Solar.

“Solar ah~,” she called out playfully.

“Hm?” She managed to dial down her laughter and turned toward Moonbyul.

Moonbyul hid her chocolate-covered hand behind her and slowly made her approach.

“What’s wrong?” Solar got a bit anxious. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“It’s nothing~” she spoke unconvincingly.

“Don’t come any closer!” Solar warned.

She slightly leaned back and raised her arms in the air to form an X. Moonbyul wasn’t deterred by Solar’s defense as she continued her approach. Once she was close enough to Solar, she leaned in to give her a kiss. Solar closed her eyes and let down her guard. Moonbyul smiled even wider once she saw how helpless Solar had become. Instead of kissing Solar, she decided to smear the chocolate in her hand on Solar’s face.

The sudden cold gooey feeling surprised Solar and caused her to scream. When she opened her eyes, Moonbyul gave her a quick peck and jumped away. Solar wiped the chocolate off with her fingers and looked at it, before glaring up at Moonbyul.

“Stupid Moonbyul!”

She got up and chased after Moonbyul, grabbing the bag of marshmallows along the way.

“Catch me if you can,” she teased.

“Stupid Moonbyul. Come back here!”

“You can’t catch me! You can’t catch me!”

“Come back here!!”

Solar wanted to smeared some chocolate onto Moonbyul as well, but she was unable to get close enough. She decided to throw marshmallows at Moonbyul instead. Moonbyul caught some and stuffed them in her mouth.

“Thanks! I was hungry.”

She grinned widely, which made Solar even more furious; she started throwing handfuls of marshmallows instead of one by one.

“Hey! Hey!” Moonbyul protested. “You’re gonna attract the wildlife. You’re not suppose to feed them, you know.”

Solar grumbled and threw the whole bag at Moonbyul before giving chase once more. After they got their fill of fun and food, they laid down to watch the stars. The gentle breeze brushed pass their skin and cooled them down. Solar laid her head on Moonbyul’s chest and Moonbyul embraced her, kissing her forehead. The stars were shining brightly in the sky as it watched over them. Solar raised her hand in the air to reach for the sky. Moonbyul followed and merged their hands together.

She asked Moonbyul for a story and Moonbyul accepted the request without hesitation. Solar listened attentively. Feeling safe and secure in Moonbyul’s embrace, she fell asleep part way through the tale.

“Hey, hey, wake up. Wake up, sleepyhead.”

A gentle voice called out to her. She lifted her head up from Moonbyul’s shoulder and rubbed her eyes. There was endless chatter going on around her as people slowly walked by. She glanced around the theater and noticed that everyone was on their way out.

“The movie’s over?” Solar questioned as she yawned.

“Yep. You slept through it.”

“Sorry, sorry.” she stretched her body, feeling a bit refreshed from her nap.

“Busy day at work?”

“I suppose. There were some patients giving us a hard time.”

“Why didn’t you stay home and rest?”

“I wanted to spend more time with you.”

“I’d rather you get more rest. We can see each other anytime.”

“But I miss you,” Solar acted cutely.

“I miss you too,” Moonbyul gently ruffled her hair.

“Let’s go. Let’s go,” Solar said excitedly, “everyone left already.”

They held tightly onto each other hand as they stride toward the exit.

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

Solar eagerly ran outside, forgetting to put on the rest of her winter outfit. The cold breeze, in contrast to the warm air of the theater, sent chills down her spine. However, she showed no sign of being bothered by it. She spun around in place, smiling happily as the cold snowflakes melted on her warm skin. The warmth of her breath created a large cloud of vapor as she exhaled. The gentle snowfall was mesmerizing. She held out her hand and watched as the snowflakes settled into it before vanishing.

Moonbyul shook her head and smiled, watching the happy yet childish Solar getting excited over the snow. She went out after Solar, whose nose had became slightly pink. Solar sniffled as she looked up at Moonbyul, still smiling happily. Moonbyul helped her put on her earmuffs and scarf, before grabbing her hands to warm them up.

“Do you feel warmer now?” Moonbyul questioned sweetly.

Solar nodded shyly.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah,” Solar replied softly.

“Let’s go get some food then.”

“Okay~.”

Moonbyul placed her arm around Solar’s shoulders and Solar wrapped her arm around Moonbyul’s waist as they headed toward their car. They drove to a popular restaurant nearby that had become a popular hangout spot for young people recently. It had an elegant yet modern design inside and out. As they expected, it was quite packed. Luckily for them, there were still some tables available. The waitress showed them to their seats and presented them with the menus.

“Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“Chocolate milkshake,” Solar replied.

“Hot tea for me, thank you.”

“Coming right up,” the waitress happily replied.

They glanced through the menu while the waitress prepared their drinks. It wasn’t long before she came back with their beverages.

“Do you need another minute?”

Moonbyul pondered for a second before she asked, “what are your Valentine’s Day specials?”

The waitress pulled out a smaller menu from her pocket and showed it to them.

“The couples’ steak special is currently our most popular item.”

The waitress turned the page to the food she’d mentioned and let them check it out. The steaks came in pairs and cut into heart shapes. There were a variety of desserts, also heart-shaped, to choose from, as well as many side dishes to accompany their meal. They flipped through the special menu and found only one other item that piqued their interests. It was a five-course Korean BBQ with complimentary wine.

They chose the latter and waited for the meal to arrive. It was a lot fancier than what was shown in the picture. Their stomachs grumbled as they waited for the waitress to finish putting their food on the table. Once she was done, she bid them to enjoy their meal and left. They each made a lettuce wrap, and their first thought was to feed each other. They both smiled and accepted the affection. The food was delicious, especially when they made it for one another. They closed their eyes and placed their heads together.

The sweet melody from the car radio surrounded them. They smiled as they felt the calmness and joy of being in each other’s presence, a feeling they’d never felt from anyone else. They opened their eyes and looked at each other. An indescribable happiness filled their hearts and made them speechless. They could only look at each other and smile. After a while, Moonbyul spoke in an almost uncontrollable squeal of joy.

“I want to show you something.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Come on, tell me,” Solar pleaded cutely.

“No, I won’t give in to that!”

“Please~”

“No, I can’t!” Moonbyul looked away. “You’ll have to wait till we get there.”

“Alright,” she said sullenly.

Moonbyul started the engine and drove off to the promised destination. On their way there, Moonbyul handed Solar a red bandanna, which was neatly folded.

“What’s this for?” Solar raised her brow.

“It’s for your eyes.”

“My eyes?”

“Yep. You’ll have to cover your eyes.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes! It’s a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. Now, put it on. Put it on.”

“Okay~” Solar complied. “This had better be worth it.”

“It will be. I promise.”

Once Moonbyul stopped the car, Solar could hear the soft ocean waves crashing against the rocks. When the door opened, the alluring breeze tickled her nose with the refreshing smell from the sea. _Are we by the ocean? What is she trying to do?_ Moonbyul held onto Solar as she led her down an unknown path. _Where is she taking me?_ The sand beneath their feet was still warm from baking in the summer heat.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Just a bit more,” Moonbyul said happily. “No peeking.”

“I won’t.”

She led Solar for a little more distance before asking Solar to wait for her to get ready. She got into position and tried to calm her nerve. _You can do this. You can do this._ She took in a few deep breaths and slowly exhale. _You’ve been practicing for this. You can do it!_ _You will do it!_

“Are you ready?” Solar asked again impatiently.

“One moment,” she glanced around her surroundings once more before she spoke. “Okay, I’m ready. You can take it off now.”

Solar took a deep breath as she prepared for another round of teasing by Moonbyul. She pulled off the bandanna, and to her surprise found a breathtaking sight. A pathway of candles light laid before her. It led to a heart made of flowers, where Moonbyul was waiting in its center. She was down on one knee, with a bouquet of flowers on one hand and an engagement ring on the other. Moonbyul looked at Solar with a joyful smile on her face as she whispered for Solar to approach. The sight brought tears to Solar’s eyes, she was so happy it seemed as though she’d forgotten how to move.

“What are you waiting for, unnie? Go!”

A voice behind her nudged at her back as it pushed her to move forward. She turned around and found Whee-In and Hwasa.

“What are you two doing here?” She sniffled and wiped away her tears.

“How could we miss this moment?” Hwasa grinned. “Now go, she’s waiting for you.”

Solar nodded and happily approached Moonbyul. Although the tears kept on rolling down her eyes, her smile never left her face. She stood in front of Moonbyul, who cheerily smiled back at her.

“Although you’re crying tears of joy, somehow it still pain me to see you cry.”

She paused for a moment to stop herself from tearing up as well.

“Solar ah,” she took a deep breath. “We’ve been through a lot together. But there’s still a lot more I want us to experience together. I want to grow old with you. I want us to be able to laugh together, cry together, walk the rest of our life hand in hand.”

She licked her dry lips and wiped away the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Solar ah, I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? Will you—will you marry me?” Her voice cracked slightly.

Solar nodded, her lips opened and moved to give her response but the words didn’t came out. Her face was wet with tears, but the joy she felt never left her for a moment. She accepted the flowers and held her hand forward for Moonbyul to put the ring on her finger; it was a perfect fit. Moonbyul got up and they hugged each other tightly.

“I love you,” Moonbyul whispered as she cried tears of joy as well.

“I love you too.”

Whee-In and Hwasa celebrated the union by dancing around them and throwing confetti into the air. Moonbyul lifted her up and spun her around.

“SHE SAID YES!!!” She screamed excitedly. “SHE SAID YES!!!”

“You’re making me dizzy,” Solar playfully slapped Moonbyul’s shoulder.

She let Solar down and continued to embrace Solar as she spoke.

“You don’t know how happy you made me feel.”

“Me too. You’ve made me really happy.”

The moonlight shone brightly above them, lighting up their surroundings as they tried to catch one another in a game of tag. The cool breeze carried their laughter, drowning out the crashing waves. Their world only encompassed each other; they knew neither sorrow nor pain, just the joy that their hearts brought along. They all ran around until they were exhausted.

They sat down to catch their breaths; leaning their backs against the car and using its shade to hide from the sun. Sweat rolled off their faces and created tiny puddles on the ground. They fanned themselves with their shirts, which had become damp. Moonbyul quickly wiped her face with her sleeve and sighed as she stared at the boxes that still needed to be moved.

“Unnie, catch!”

Moonbyul looked toward Hwasa who just threw a bottle at her. She caught it without much problem.

“Thanks for the water.”

She quickly opened it and proceeded to chug the water. She could feel the cold liquid running through her veins, cooling her from the inside. She poured some on her head and felt rejuvenated.

“Thanks for helping us move,” Moonbyul raised the bottle toward Hwasa as though it was a glass of wine.

“Don’t mention it.” She took a sip of water. “Man, I envy those two right now.”

“Who?”

“Solar and Whee-In, who else?”

“Why?”

“They get to be inside while we’re out here getting cooked by the sun. Don’t you want to trade places with them?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?” Hwasa raised her brow.

“They have to clean and organize the whole place. They’re probably still cleaning while we’re sitting here chatting.”

“You’re right. I’m gonna rest a bit more,” Hwasa smiled as she laid her head down. “Speaking of which,” she suddenly turned toward Moonbyul.

“What is it?”

“You guys got engaged not long ago, and you’re already moving in together.”

“It’s been almost two months.”

“Then when is the big day?”

“We’re still planning for it. I want it to be unforgettable,” Moonbyul smiled shyly.

“Then why not wait till after the wedding to do all this?”

“I want to spend more time with her. Moving in together is the best choice. She also wants the same thing.”

“As long as you two are happy.”

“We are.”

“Well, when you have a date for your wedding, don’t forget to invite us.”

“That will never happen.”

“Make sure it doesn’t. I’ll get angry if you do.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Don’t you want to settle down with Whee-In?”

Hwasa laughed before she replied, “I still want to be free for a little longer.”

“HWASA! MOONBYUL! GET YOUR BUTTS MOVING!!!”

They heard a constant squealing but couldn’t make out its contents. They glanced around but found no one else nearby. They looked at each other and sighed, as if they already knew who was screaming. They decided to look up to the fifth floor of the apartment building. Their suspicion was confirmed. Whee-In was swirling her fist in the air and screaming something fierce, but then she suddenly disappeared; she was most likely pulled back in by Solar.

“See what I mean?” Hwasa commented.

Moonbyul shook her head and chuckled. “Well, that’s our cue to get moving.”

Hwasa could do naught but agree. They stacked the rest of the boxes onto the two hand trucks and brought them up to the apartment, where Solar and Whee-In were waiting. Whee-In was pouting, it seemed as though Solar had given her a scolding. As for Solar, she happily greeted them with open arms. Hwasa and Moonbyul decided to join the cleaning crew and Solar assigned each of them a task.

Hwasa was trying to make Whee-In laugh by doing goofy dances as she cleaned. It didn’t take long for Whee-In to burst into laughter and dance along. Moonbyul and Solar joined in soon after. They cranked up the music and danced to their hearts’ content, it distracted them from their tasks. It wasn’t long before they heard banging accompanied by screaming for them to quiet down. They looked at each other and giggled softly. They turned down the music and went back to what they were doing.

Solar went into the kitchen and prepared some more food. She had just finished sauteing another dish of vegetables. She turned off the heat and wiped her hands, before grabbing her oven mitts. She removed a large fish from the wooden steamer, its delectable smell filled the kitchen and wafted throughout the house.

“You’re making us hungry unnie,” Whee-In yelled.

“My stomach is growling!” Hwasa added.

“It’ll be done soon,” Solar spoke as she set the new dishes down alongside the many already on the table.

“You sure you don’t need our help?” Hwasa looked up at her.

“You already helped us move in. So just enjoy yourselves today.”

“Okay~” Whee-In and Hwasa responded simultaneously.

Moonbyul came back with two bags of beverages and a person, who was striding confidently alongside her. He was about her height with an average built. His gut was slightly protruding from his navy blue dress shirt. He looked to be in his late thirties with fresh razor cuts on his face. His cologne was overwhelming, as though he’d sprayed on half a bottle before coming over.

“Come in. Come in.” Moonbyul quickly invited him into her home. “Everyone,” she said excitedly, “I want you to meet someone. This is Kang-Dae. He’s a friend from work.”

“Please to meet you,” Solar gave a bow.

“Nice to meet you,” Hwasa and Whee-In bowed their head to greet him.

“Yo.”

He casually waved his hand, disregarding any traditions and formalities, which was off-putting for Solar, Hwasa, and Whee-In. They glanced at each other awkwardly before looking back his way with a wry smile on their faces.

“Please have a seat,” Solar continued to give her best hospitality.

“Yeah, make yourself at home,” Moonbyul smiled as they sat down.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he snickered.

“Here you go.”

Moonbyul passed around the drinks she’d just brought home and they thanked her in their own way. Solar gave her a kiss before heading back into the kitchen to grab the rest of the dishes she’d prepared. As she walked away, Kang-Dae checked her out from behind and whistled. He turned toward Moonbyul and pretended he was whispering.

“Your girlfriend has a nice piece of ass. I wouldn’t mind tapping that.”

Moonbyul laughed with him as though they were telling a joke only they understood. Hwasa and Whee-In looked at each other and furrowed their brows.

“Unnie,” Hwasa spoke sternly. “Don’t you think what he said was highly inappropriate?”

“I agree,” Whee-In chimed in. “How could you laugh about that?”

“Damn, calm your tits.” He scoffed. “It was just a joke.”

“Hey, watch your mouth,” Hwasa warned.

“It’s not funny,” Whee-In spoke sternly.

“Lighten up guys.” Moonbyul sighed. “He didn’t mean any harm by it.”

“Yeah, damn man,” he turned toward Moonbyul. “I didn’t know ‘your friends’ couldn’t take a joke,” he scoffed.

“They’re just—”

“Your joke was in poor taste,” Hwasa cut in. “There was nothing funny about it.”

“That’s cause you have no sense of humor,” he spoke condescendingly.

“Or maybe you have no sense of shame. I have only one word to describe your humor. Want to know what it is?”

“What?”

“So eager!” she teased and Whee-In snickered. “I guess I’ll clue you in, seeing as how you’re begging.”

“Why you little—”

“Guys—” Moonbyul tried to diffuse the situation.

“It’s rotten, just like its owner.” She shook her head as though she was judging him.

“You little bi—”

“I have an idea. Why not take it back for a refund? Oh wait, I forgot,” she acted surprise, “it’s non-refundable, isn’t it? Should I take it out with the trash? It’s stinking up the place.”

Whee-In had turned away and covered her mouth, but it was still apparent that she was laughing. Kang-Dae gritted his teeth and huffed. As he was about to make a retort, which he thought was clever, Moonbyul intervened.

“Hwasa, that’s quite enough.” She looked toward Kang-Dae apologetically. “I’m sorry about that. She’s not usually like that. Forgive and forget?”

He forced himself to smile before he replied. “Anything for you buddy.”

He tapped Moonbyul’s shoulder and momentarily scowled at Hwasa.

“Hwasa?” Moonbyul raised her brow as she looked in Hwasa’s direction.

“Fine,” Hwasa reluctantly agree as she rolled her eyes.

The light and fun atmosphere had been replaced by a silent and stuffy one. Solar brought out the rest of the dishes and sat down. She tried her best to pretend she hadn’t heard anything so she could still play the good host, but it was difficult. The only ones who were enjoying themselves the rest of the evening were Moonbyul and Kang-Dae. They drank and recounted their stories from work. From time to time, Moonbyul would turn toward them and asked a quick question, which they didn’t understand, so all they did was nod.

They had never seen Moonbyul act this way before. It was as if she was a completely different person, someone they’d never met. They glanced at each other worriedly, but all they could do was watch over her. They were not fond of Kang-Dae, not just because of his rudeness or arrogance, but because he gave them an uneasy feeling. The type of feeling they’d get when someone was bad news, like a toxic fume that poisoned anything it touched.

Hwasa and Whee-In didn’t feel at ease leaving Solar with two drunkards, especially with someone like Kang-Dae. They stayed behind for a while before dragging him away to let Solar and Moonbyul rest. Solar saw them out before she headed back toward Moonbyul, who was sitting at the table.

“You should wash up and rest. I’ll clean up.”

Moonbyul sighed. “Why?”

“What?” She looked at Moonbyul and raised her brow. “Why wouldn’t I clean up?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean then?”

“Why didn’t you try to make him feel welcome? He was a guest and my friend.”

Solar took a deep breath and sighed. “I did.”

“You could’ve tried harder.”

She furrowed her brow at Moonbyul’s words. “Let’s not talk about this.”

“Hwasa and Whee-In don’t like him. Fine. But why you?”

“You’re drunk. It’s best if you go and rest.”

“No, no, tell me. I really want to know.”

“I really don’t want to talk about him.” she said impatiently.

“You’re my partner. I want to know why you don’t like my friend?”

She slightly slammed her hands onto the table and took a deep breath, before she replied. “There’s no reason. I just don’t.”

“Was it because of his joke? Come on Solar, that’s just petty. Fine, it was a bit vulgar, but that’s no reason to hate him. He’s a good person.”

“Whatever you say.”

“You just have to get to know him better.”

“Sure.”

“It’s clear you don’t want to see me right now. Fine, I’ll leave.”

Moonbyul dragged herself to bed. Solar sat down and buried her face in her hand as she sighed. She felt a sting in her heart and tears unknowingly dripped into her palms. _What’s this? Why am I crying?_ She smiled sadly as she wiped them away. She’d toiled all-day, but the tiredness only caught up to her now that she was alone. She rested her head and closed her eyes.

“Solar? Solar?”

Someone grabbed her arm and shook her awake. She looked up at the person sitting across from her, who she knew only too well. When their eyes met, she greeted Solar with a smile and Solar smiled back.

“Mi-Cha? What brought you here?”

“We’re at work. Why wouldn’t I be here?” She teased.

“Really?” Solar said sarcastically as she tapped her fingers on the table.

“Sorry, sorry. I know that’s not what you meant,” she laughed. “I just couldn’t help it. Anyway, I wanted to tell you our shift is over.”

“Oh my god, did I sleep through it? I’m really sorry.”

“It’s alright. I got your back.” She winked.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Think of it as an apology since I couldn’t make it to your housewarming party yesterday.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t there.” Solar sighed. “You would’ve hated it.”

“Why?” Mi-Cha raised her brow. “Did something happen?”

“The party was a disaster.”

Solar recounted the events of yesterday evening as they gathered their belongings and left the hospital together. They stood in the parking lot and leaned against their car as they chatted. Mi-Cha listened and let Solar vent her frustration, only giving her input when Solar asked a question. Solar felt better after talking to Mi-Cha. She thanked Mi-Cha for listening before they bid their farewell.

Moonbyul came over and hugged her when she got home. She felt a warmth and happiness in Moonbyul’s embrace. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the peace of mind this moment had brought. It helped her forget the sadness and tiredness that was dragging her down. It made her felt as though she’d fallen in love once again.

“Welcome home.” Moonbyul spoke in a sweet voice.

“I’m home.” She replied softly.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“It’s alright. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“That’s still no excuse. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Solar gave her a kiss before she spoke. “I know.”

Solar went to take a shower while Moonbyul leaned against the door frame, her arms and legs crossed, as they continued their chat.

“I thought you’d be home earlier.”

“I was talking to Mi-Cha and didn’t look at the time.”

“Mi-Cha? That friend from work you told me about?”

“Yeah.”

“How come she wasn’t here yesterday?”

“She had to work and couldn’t make it.”

“Well, if there’s a chance, I’d like to meet her.”

“I’d like that as well.”

Solar wrapped a towel around her body after she dried herself off. She sat down on the bed and proceeded to dry her hair with an extra towel. Moonbyul offered to help and Solar gave her the towel. After she dried Solar’s hair, she carefully combed it and made sure it wasn’t tangled. Solar gave her a kiss and thanked her before getting dressed.

As she was putting on her clothes, her stomach grumbled; it angrily growled at her for neglecting to give it nutrients. Moonbyul laughed and she playfully slapped Moonbyul’s arm before heading to the kitchen.

  
  



	7. The Slow Poison (The Past Chapter 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past Part 2 [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

Solar glanced down at the list as she made her way through the aisle, scanning to see if there were any items she needed. She stopped in front of the frozen section and checked what it had to offer. She dropped a bag of frozen fruit and ice cream into her already half-full basket. _What should I make today?_ She pondered as she looked at the different types of meat . _Steaks sound good._ She grabbed a few beef packages before heading over to the produce area. Fruits and vegetables were the last items on her list. As she was selecting the oranges, a voice whispered next to her ear.

“Hey there, sexy. Got any plans for tonight?”

It startled her. She took a step back as she turned to face it. She looked at the man in front of her and sighed.

“Can I help you?”

“Aw don’t be so cold. Don’t you remember me? I’m Kang-Dae. We met at your housewarming party.”

Solar wanted to forget she’d ever met him, but as luck would have it, she was thrust into dealing with him once more. She smiled as naturally as she could before she replied.

“Ah yes.” She played along. “Is something the matter?”

“I saw you were shopping alone and thought you could use the company.” He winked, confidently believing that it would charm her.

“I’m quite fine, thank you,” she gracefully declined. “I like to do some thinking while I shop. It’s better if I do it alone.”

“What do you think about?”

“Nothing special,” she answered casually.

“C’mon, you can tell me.” He leaned in closer. “I can keep a secret, trust me.”

“It’s really nothing,” she said irritably.

“Aw, don’t be that way. Share a little.”

Solar thought that she’d given a sufficient amount of hints for him to leave her be. From her expressions to her tone of voice, she’d given all sorts of indications that she would prefer not to converse with him. _What doesn’t he understand about_ _the word_ _alone?_ She sighed as she furrowed her brow.

“Hey baby, don’t look so down. It’s alright if you don’t wanna say it. Perk up, you look sexier when you smile.” He winked.

Solar wasn’t sure how she should respond. “I have to go. I’m a little busy at the moment.”

She turned away, as she tried to leave he grabbed onto her basket handle before she could walk off. She rolled her eyes and sighed, groaning softly under her breath.

“Is there something else?” she asked with a fake smile.

“Let a strong man like me carry your groceries.” He flexed his muscles. “You know you want it.”

“I don’t, actually.” She tried not to judge.

“No, no. I insist!” He gripped the handle tighter. “Afterward, we can go out for a drink.” He winked. “What do you say?”

“Are you seriously hitting on me?” She scoffed, furrowing her brow.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He smirked, lowering the decibel in his voice as he raised his brow. “A hottie like you and a handsome stud like me.” He smiled confidently. “We’d make a great couple,” he said proudly.

“You do know that I’m Moonbyul’s fiancée, right?” She emphasized each word as if he was a bit touched in the head.

“So?” He shrugged. “We can still have fun.”

His words left her baffled, taking away any scrap of respect she’d had for him. Then again, there hadn’t been much to begin with. She was finished with being polite, even a fake smile seemed like a waste on him. Her face became stern as she warned him.

“I’ll say this only once. Leave me alone.”

As though he’d censored out her words, he forcefully took away her basket of groceries.

“Is there anything else you wanted?” he questioned with a smile.

 _Is he serious right now?_ Solar clenched her fists and sighed in anger. “Give that back,” she demanded.

“Let me help you out,” he said cheerily.

“This is ridiculous,” she mumbled angrily under her breath. “You want it, take it.” She said bitterly, gritting her teeth.

She glanced around to make sure there were no witnesses before proceeding to stomp on his foot. She immediately stormed off afterward, however not before hearing him cursing her under his breath. _What an ass!_ She thought to herself as she exited the store without any of her groceries.

Her house wasn’t far from the store, so she’d gone there on foot. She slowly strolled home, using the scenery to try and calm herself. She felt relieved as a bit of tranquility settled back in. She smiled happily to herself as she continued down the path.

“Solar! Solar!!”

A voice called out from behind, getting closer by the second. She recognized it and felt her anger coming back. She rolled her eyes and picked up her pace, but she wasn’t fast enough to get away.

“Solar!” He ran in front of her and blocked her path.

“Not again.” She grumbled softly.

“You forgot your groceries.” He lifted the bags of groceries in his hands to show her before bending over, grabbing his knees, and trying to catch his breath.

She pretended he wasn’t there, went around him, and kept on walking. She hoped he would get the hint and stop following her. He didn’t.

“I’ll walk you home.” He spoke in a husky voice, which he thought was seductive.

“No, thank you.” She declined without a second thought.

“Ah! My foot! I think it’s broken!” He pretended. “You’re a nurse, right? Take a look?”

She ignored him and continued walking away. He gave chase.

“C’mon, baby. Don’t be so heartless.”

Solar continued her silence. She walked home angrily without uttering another word, but that didn’t deter him from bothering her. He followed her home, embellishing his achievements as though he liked the sound of his own voice more than trying to impress her.

It took her about five minutes to get home, but it felt like five centuries had passed being next to Kang-Dae. She was frustrated, she wanted to punch him out of existence but restrained herself from unnecessary violence.

When they got to the gate of the apartment, Kang-Dae noticed Moonbyul coming out. He quickly grabbed Solar and turned her to face him. He knew Solar was angry, but he wanted to provoke her further.

“Why play hard to get?” He leaned in and mocked. “I know you want a man to make you feel more like a real woman. Moonbyul can’t give you the pleasure that I can.” He smirked condescendingly.

Solar slapped him across his face. “Go to hell!” She said furiously.

Moonbyul ran up to them. “What’s going on? What happened?” She questioned in quick succession, looking back and forth at them.

“I-I don’t know.” He held his face, feigning innocence. “She forgot her groceries so I brought it here.” He held up the bags. “When I try to give it to her, she slapped me.” He then turned toward Solar. “I know you hate me. I’m sorry if I offended you.” He bowed his head as if he was truly showing sincerity, while offering the groceries to her with both hands. “I didn’t mean it, please forgive me.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Moonbyul tried to get him to stand up. “I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”

“Even so,” he exclaimed loudly. “It’s probably my fault. I must ask for her forgiveness.”

“Don’t just stand there,” Moonbyul whispered as she nudged Solar to accept Kang-Dae’s apology.

Solar scoffed at his act, but what baffled her even more was how easily Moonbyul believed him. She looked at Moonbyul as she shook her head in disbelief before storming off. Moonbyul apologized to Kang-Dae about Solar’s behavior and promised that she’d make it up to him. She thanked him for the groceries before chasing after Solar.

Solar didn’t wait for Moonbyul as she took the elevator back up to the fifth floor. When she got home she grumpily sat down on the couch. She leaned back, closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and brooded silently. She just wanted some peace and quiet so she could process her thoughts without anger factoring in.

Moonbyul got home a few minutes after Solar. She didn’t say anything and went straight into the kitchen. She dropped the groceries onto the table and sat down on the arm chair near Solar. She rested her elbows on her thighs and clasped her hands together. The atmosphere was slightly tense. She thought for a moment while looking at Solar before she questioned.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Solar answered nonchalantly.

“What do you have against him?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she emphasized.

“Even if you don’t like him, you don’t have to treat him like that.”

Solar sighed and furrowed her brow without responding.

“He brought the groceries you forgot. He apologized after you slapped him. He’s—”

“He’s an asshole!” She sat up quickly and raised her voice.

“How could you say that after he helped you?”

“Help?” She scorned. “He was harassing me! He said—!” She stopped herself, feeling angry at the thought.

“What did he say?”

She took a deep breath before she replied, “he said he can make me feel like a real woman.” She clenched her fists. “Give me pleasure you can’t.” She felt disgusted saying them herself.

“Solar.” Moonbyul sighed. “I know you’re prejudiced against him, but—” she paused. “Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

She looked at Moonbyul in disbelief. “You don’t believe me?”

“That’s not what I mean. I just think you’re letting your anger get the better of you. I know him. He’s not that type of person.”

“You know him? He’s not that type of person? And I’m the type to accuse people for no reason?” She stood up angrily.

“You know that’s not what I mean.” She leaned back, crossed her arms, and sighed. “Why are you acting like a bitch?”

It took Moonbyul a moment to realize what she’d just said, but it was too late. She noticed the sadness in Solar’s eyes and tried to explain herself. Solar smiled wryly, feeling the tiny stings in her heart getting worse by the second. She turned and walked away before she could cry in front of Moonbyul.

Her tears began to fall before she made it to the bedroom. She closed the door and slid down with her back against it. She put on her headphones, rested her head on the door, and closed her eyes. The melody of the song helped her regulate her breathing. She felt calm and at peace, but it couldn’t help ease the pain in her heart. She felt it getting worse as though someone had gotten a hold of it and was squeezing it with all their might. It didn’t matter how many tears she wiped from her face, they still silently escaped from her eyes.

Moonbyul sat down at the street stall and ordered some food. It wasn’t long before Kang-Dae joined her. They had just finished their shift and wanted to have a few drinks before heading home. As they were chatting about their day, two men started arguing at a table nearby. At first it was just a debate, a shove here and there, until one of them smashed a bottle on the other’s one head. He was bleeding but he retaliated and it became a full-scale fight.

Kang-Dae was enjoying the show, but Moonbyul jumped in to stop them. He groaned softly and dragged his feet. If he had to pretend to care for some street rats, he’d rather do it slowly. When Moonbyul identified herself as a police officer to the assailant, he fled, leaving his bloodied friend on the ground. Moonbyul told Kang-Dae to call an ambulance before chasing after him.

Kang-Dae squatted next to the injured man and glared down at him. He smirked as he watched the blood flow from the man’s head. He was not in a hurry to get help for him, instead he pressed his thumb on the man’s injured head and caused him to wail in pain. He glare over at the stall’s owner, who was too scared to intervene. He tormented the man for a few moments. When he was ready to leave, he warned the stall’s owner to keep his mouth shut about what happened. He cared not whether the man died as he left to find Moonbyul. Once Kang-Dae was out of sight the stall’s owner called for an ambulance, stating only that the injured man had gotten into a fight.

Moonbyul caught up to the assailant and stopped him by grabbing onto his shoulder. He immediately took a swing at her, blindly throwing his punches, which made it easy for her to dodge them. She grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm behind him, and pinned him against the wall. He pulled out a knife and tried to slice her, forcing her to let go of him and back away.

Kang-Dae caught up to them, but hid in the darkness to watch. It was hard to spot him in the shadow of the dark alley. He smirked as the assailant attacked Moonbyul with a knife.

Moonbyul disarmed the man by kicking the weapon out of his hand. She knocked him down as he scrambled to retrieve his knife. She pinned him to the ground; his knife was just slightly out of reach. He struggled to break free. As she was grabbing her handcuffs, a sudden noise in the darkness caught her attention. It caused her to loosen her grip on the man. She turned her head, but could not find the origin of the noise.

The assailant took the opportunity while Moonbyul was distracted to retrieve his knife. He attacked her again with it. This time she was caught off-guard, so she was unable to get out of harm’s way. He sliced up her right forearm, cutting it open. She gripped tightly onto it as she tried to stop the bleeding.

The man looked at her, his hands were shaking. He was still gripping tightly onto the knife, her fresh blood dripped from the tip of the blade. She could tell that he was afraid, as though it wasn’t his intention to hurt her. When he realized what he’d just done, he dropped the knife and ran.

“Hey! Stop! Wait!” she yelled after him.

She tried to chase after him but the loss of blood was making her feel slightly sluggish. Her face was becoming paler. She leaned against the wall and looked down at her arm. The cut was deep and the bleeding hadn’t slowed. She tried to move her fingers, but she couldn’t feel them.

Kang-Dae waited until Moonbyul was leaning against the wall. He changed his smile into a frown and messed up his clothes slightly before he approached. He pretended to know nothing about the events that had taken place. She wanted him to chase after the assailant, but he refused, stating that her injury should take priority. He acted worried and called for an ambulance without delay. The paramedics did what they could while they transported her to the hospital. She fell asleep on her way there.

Solar was working at the front desk with Mi-Cha when she saw Moonbyul being brought in. She got up and anxiously ran after them. The doctor had already taken Moonbyul into the ER by the time Solar arrived.

“What happened!?” Solar demanded angrily at Kang-Dae.

He shrugged and smiled happily. “But you might have a crippled lover now. How does that make you feel?”

“You—” She clenched her fists.

He noticed her anger and smirked. He slipped his hands into his pockets and walked away, whistling cheerily.

Mi-Cha caught up to Solar not long after. “What happened?” She questioned worriedly.

“I don’t know. It’s Moonbyul. She’s—” Solar started tearing up.

“It’ll be alright.” Mi-Cha hugged Solar and comforted her. “She’ll be fine.”

Solar took a moment to compose herself. “Thank you.” She wiped away her tears. “What about the front desk?”

“Don’t worry about that. I took care of it,” she said confidently.

“Are you always so reliable?”

“That depends.” She playfully winked.

Mi-Cha tried to keep Solar from thinking negative thoughts and scaring herself. She told jokes to make Solar laugh and distract her. She kept Solar company while they waited for the result on Moonbyul’s condition.


	8. The Beginning of the End (The Past Chapter 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past Part 3 [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

Solar and Mi-Cha waited in front of the ER and rushed up to the doctor when he came out. They caught him by surprise and he questioned why they weren’t manning their stations. Solar explained that Moonbyul was her fiancée. The doctor sighed and tucked his hands in his lab coat. He didn’t like being the bearer of bad news, especially when he had to deliver it to one of his staff. It was obvious that Solar was anxious, but he wasn’t one to give false hope. He sighed once more before he finally gave her an update on Moonbyul’s condition.

He bluntly stated that Moonbyul’s injury had caused nerve damage. If it healed, there wouldn’t be a need for concern. If it didn’t, she’d lose the mobility in her hand. Solar was devastated. She knew that in Moonbyul’s line of work, injuries were unavoidable. She had expected that this day would come eventually. It had simply arrived a lot sooner than she’d anticipated, although she’d never wanted it to happen.

The doctor told her to prepare for the worst, but not to lose hope. Although he knew he didn’t need to, since Solar was an experienced nurse. He still thought it was a courteous thing to do. He bid her farewell, but not before instructing her to take care of herself. Solar and Mi-Cha helped transport Moonbyul from the ER to a different room before Mi-Cha went back to her duties.

“Call me if you need anything.” She smiled and hugged Solar before she left.

Solar sat down and held Moonbyul’s hand. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the heaviness in her heart weighing her down. _How am I suppose_ _d_ _to tell you?_ Solar’s heart stung at the thought. _You’re such a proud person. It’s your dream to be a detective. How can I say your_ _right_ _hand might become cripple_ _d_ _?_ She could feel her tears trying to escape. She took a deep breath to compose herself.

Solar looked at the time and knew it’d take a while before the anesthetic would wear off. She kissed Moonbyul’s forehead and left to find the head nurse. When Solar found her, Mi-Cha had already informed her of Solar’s situation. She approved of Solar’s leave request and gave her words of consolation before returning to her tasks.

“If you need help. You know where to find me.” She looked up and said as Solar was leaving.

“Thank you.”

Solar bowed her head before she left to grab her belongings. She leaned her head against the wall and sighed heavily, feeling worried and anxious as she thought about Moonbyul’s reaction once she found out. _I must stay strong._ _If she sees me like this, she might_ _believe there’s no chance she can recover_ _._ Solar perked up. _She can be heal_ _ed_ _._ _She will be. I just have to make sure she stays healthy until then._ She took a deep breath and continued to encourage herself.

Once she was done changing, she went back to Moonbyul’s room, where Mi-Cha was waiting for her outside. Mi-Cha was leaning against the wall, decked out in her biker clothes. Her helmet was dangling from one finger while she stared at the ceiling. She was carrying a plastic bag in her other hand. Solar smiled and went up to greet her.

“Dress like that, no one will ever guess you’re a nurse,” she teased. “So, which nurse is your new fling?” She glanced around.

“You make me sound like a player.”

“Are you not?” She giggled. “Do you even know how many hearts you’ve broken?”

“I object, your honor!” She exclaimed playfully. “They all came to a mutual understanding with me.”

“Mutual understanding, huh.” Solar nodded, not very convinced by Mi-Cha’s explanation. “Is that why they’re still chasing after you?”

“Hey, I can’t control that. Besides, my heart was broken too,” she pouted.

“What!? When!? By whom!?”

“Why, you, of course.” She held her chest and pretended to sniffle. “If only I was a step quicker. For you, I’d have settled down.”

Solar gave her a stern look before sighing. “There you go again. Can’t even be serious for a minute.”

“Hey, I’m always serious.”

“Fine. Fine. You’re serious.” She waved it off. “So, what brought you here?”

“Here you go.” She handed the plastic bag over to Solar.

“What is it?” Solar opened it to check the contents.

“I got you some food.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.”

“Of course I did. You’re not going to eat otherwise,” she scolded. “You’ll be too worried or you’ll forget. Either way, you’ll go hungry.”

“No, I won’t,” Solar pouted.

“Really?” Mi-Cha said skeptically. “Is it because the power of love is enough to fill you up?”

Solar took a deep breath and smiled mischievously. “Do I have permission to slap you?”

“No.” She fervently shook her head.

“Well, I’m going to anyway!” She tried to before her sentence was finished.

Mi-Cha jumped out of the way. “Ha! You missed!” She shook her head and playfully sighed. “I feel bad for Moonbyul.”

“Why?” Solar questioned, suspecting she might regret it.

“You’re so feisty. She must get hit a lot.”

Solar smiled and said sweetly, “Mi-Cha ah, come over here.”

She shook her head as she backed away. “I decline. I don’t like the way you’re looking at me.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything.”

“Say that again, but more convincing this time.”

“Mi-Cha ah~, I promise to be gentle.”

“That’s even worse,” she protested.

“Mi-Cha ah~, you can trust me.”

“Well, wouldn’t you look at the time,” she said as she quickly glanced at her watch. “I shouldn’t keep my date waiting. Don’t forget to eat.”

Mi-Cha waved as she ran off. Solar smiled and felt her spirits lift. _Thank you,_ she said silently as she watched her friend disappear into the distance. Moonbyul hadn’t woken up when Solar entered the room. She checked the monitors to make sure there weren’t any anomalies before sitting down to eat.

When Moonbyul awoke, the world was hazy. Her body felt weightless and there was a weird sense of joy that had taken a hold of her. Her arm wouldn’t listen when she tried to use it, but she was feeling too good to let that bring her down. She smiled when she saw Solar sitting close by.

Solar was overjoyed when Moonbyul opened her eyes. She was so happy she started asking Moonbyul some questions, but all she got as a response was constant nodding and smiling. It reminded her that the anesthetic was still in effect. She smiled at the sight of the silly Moonbyul, but worried about the pain that would come after the drug wore off. After some time, she was able to get Moonbyul to go back to sleep before resting her own head on the bed.

It was dawn. The reddish orange sky was beautiful and not glaringly bright. Birds were gathering outside, forming a choir to start their day with a symphony. An intense pain in Moonbyul’s forearm woke her. She groaned as she held it to her chest. It was bandaged tightly. She tried to move her fingers, but the pain was too intense; she only managed to get them to twitch. _The cut must have been deeper than I thought._ She remembered the exchange she had with the suspect she was trying to apprehend. _This must be the hospital._ She glanced around and found Solar sleeping on the chair next to her. It brought a smile to her face and helped her forget some of the pain. She gently caressed Solar’s head, feeling a sense of peace with each stroke.

“Did I wake you?” Moonbyul questioned when Solar sat up.

She shook her head. “How are you feeling?”

Moonbyul pondered for a moment. “I can’t move my hand! I think it’s broken.” She looked at her arm, pretending to be surprised.

Moonbyul silliness made Solar smile. “I guess you’re fine since you can still joke at a time like this.”

“It helps when you smile,” she said sweetly.

“You and your sweet talk.” Solar helped Moonbyul sit up. “You know, my smile isn’t anything special.”

“I disagree. You just won’t admit it’s a priceless treasure.”

“Fine. Fine, everything you say is right.”

Moonbyul raised her brow. “Whoa, Solar admitted that I was right for once? Did the sun rise from the west today?”

“Ha ha, very funny. Now stay still so I can take your temperature.”

Solar let out a sigh of relief when the result came out normal. She proceeded to question multiple times to see if Moonbyul had other discomfort, but Moonbyul insisted she had none. Solar knew Moonbyul was hurting more than she let on. She got Moonbyul some water and the pain medication the doctor had prescribed.

It wasn’t long before the doctor arrived for the morning shift and made his rounds. He changed Moonbyul’s bandage and checked her wound for signs of an infection. There didn’t seem to be any, so he released her from the hospital. He also set up appointments and instructed her to return for her check-ups before he finalized her paperwork.

Moonbyul was happy when she arrived home. She never thought she could miss her sofa as much as she had. Its cushions were firm yet comfortable. She sprawled out onto it and grinned, enjoying the comfort that it brought.

Solar knew Moonbyul was hungry, so she went to prepare some food. While she was cooking, she heard noises coming from down the hall. She glanced out to find that Moonbyul was nowhere to be seen. She quickly located the noise’s origin and found Moonbyul squatting down on the bathroom floor, trying to pick up the items that were scattered about.

Moonbyul hadn’t showered for several days. She felt disgusted and started the bathwater, but accidentally knocked over a few things on the bathroom counter. Without thinking, she tried to catch them with her injured hand, sending a fresh wave of pain up her arm. She held it tightly and waited for the pain to subside. When she was finally able to focus on cleaning up her mess, Solar entered. She felt frustrated that she couldn’t accomplish such a simple task without alerting Solar.

Solar had already noticed how Moonbyul felt before she could hide her feelings. She didn’t ask any questions and proceeded to help Moonbyul clean up the floor. Before she let Moonbyul shower alone, she carefully wrapped Moonbyul’s arm in plastic and sternly warned her not to use it.

**************************************

A few months had passed since Moonbyul was injured. Her bandages had came off and the wound was healing well, but her hand still had no strength. She couldn’t even do something as simple as forming a fist without it shaking uncontrollably. The doctor recommended that she start physical therapy, which she attended regularly. However, it hadn’t improved her condition, making her more and more frustrated by the day.

She’d had a few outbursts where she took her anger out on Solar, which she’d regretted immediately. Recently, it seemed to occur more frequently and she hated herself for it, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep it under control.

It was time for her physical therapy again. She didn’t want to do it since it had proven more than useless and a waste of her time. Solar thought differently and gave Moonbyul the hand grip. Moonbyul sighed irritably and tried desperately to use it. It slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. She picked it up with her good hand and threw it against the wall, hard enough to leave a dent.

“What’s the use!?” she screamed.

Solar went to retrieve it as she tried to comfort Moonbyul. “I know you’re frustrated, but you can’t rush it. It takes time to heal.”

“Time. Time. Time! That’s all you ever say! How much more time!?”

“I know it’s hard, but you can’t give up.”

“Why not!? Nothing I do seems to help!”

“You’re healing little by little, you just can’t see it.”

“Stop lying to me! I know it’s impossible!”

“I’m not. Your condition is improving.”

“I don’t believe you.” She grabbed her coat and stormed out of the house.

Solar gave chase. “Where are you going?”

“Leave me be. I want to be alone.”

Moonbyul yanked her arm away and walked off, leaving behind Solar. Solar felt her heart sink as she could do naught but watch Moonbyul leave.

 _I’m nothing but a_ _useless_ _cripple._ Moonbyul looked at her hand and smiled wryly. _She could do better than someone like me. All I do is make her sad._ She kicked the rock in front of her as she fumed.

A car pulled up beside her not long after, and from within Kang-Dae greeted her. He invited her to go to a bar with him. She shrugged and went along, since she no longer cared what happened. It was from that day on that Moonbyul stopped doing physical therapy and started drinking heavily. She was drunk almost everyday, causing her health to deteriorate.

Solar would try to reason with her, but despite her pleas, Moonbyul wouldn’t listen. After the first few times, Solar followed her and found the culprit of Moonbyul’s indulgence. She confronted Kang-Dae and Moonbyul defended him. The end result was an argument.

“What I do is none of your business,” was the last thing Moonbyul uttered which ended the fight.

Solar turned and walk away, tears fell from her face as she left. After that, their arguments became more frequent. At first, they would quickly reconcile and comfort each other, but eventually that came to a stop.

When Solar left for work, she would always worry about Moonbyul. With Moonbyul not caring about her own health, Solar was afraid she might get another injury. One that couldn’t be healed. She paced around the break room as she waited for Moonbyul to pick up her calls, which lately had gone unanswered more and more often. This time was no different, it went straight to voicemail.

The head nurse sent her home because she was too distracted to be effective. She also received a lecture as a result. Solar knew Moonbyul was out drinking and she didn’t want to be alone worrying about Moonbyul’s safety. She opted to sit at a bench in the hospital courtyard, watching the patients’ and staffs’ interactions distracted her from her worries.

“What are you looking at?” A voice surprised her from behind.

She jumped, turned, and sighed. “Oh, it’s just you Mi-Cha.”

“What kind of reaction is that?”

“Be glad I’m not that jumpy. You might have a broken nose if I was.”

“Is violence your answer to everything?”

“Why don’t you come over here and see?” She smiled and pretended to crack her knuckles.

“I’d rather not.” She laughed nervously. “So, what’s going on with you? I heard you got sent home.”

Solar shook her head sullenly. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s Moonbyul again, isn’t it?”

“Is it that obvious?” she asked, surprised.

“Well, she’s the only one who can make you look that ugly.”

“Mi-Cha ah,” she said with a devilish smile. “Do you have a death wish?”

Mi-Cha playfully shook her head. “From you, no.” She paused. “I’d rather die in the arms of a beauty.”

Solar sighed irritably and flicked Mi-Cha’s forehead. Mi-Cha could’ve easily moved out of the way but she didn’t. Instead, she closed her eyes and awaited Solar’s punishment, which came quickly and furiously, but was surprisingly gentle.

“Feel better?”

“A bit. Thanks,” Solar said softly.

Mi-Cha pondered for a moment. “Wait for me.”

“What for?”

“My shift just ended. I’ll take you out to play. It’ll cheer you up.”

“There’s no need—”

“Just wait,” Mi-Cha said excitedly as she left.

It didn’t take her long to change and come back for Solar. She handed Solar a helmet and took her out on a ride. Their first stop was an amusement park, where they randomly chose which attraction they would go on via a raffle.

The rides they went on were both fast and exhilarating. They screamed at the top of their lungs, except one screamed out of enjoyment, the other for fear of her life. It was how Solar found out that Mi-Cha was not great with heights. Mi-Cha’s reactions when they were up in the air made Solar giggle with delight and helped her forget all the bad things that were going on in her life. Seeing Solar’s smile, Mi-Cha found her sacrifice to be worth it. 

She even went on the Ferris Wheel to watch the sunset with Solar. Although, she was hanging on for dear life and the slight cranking noise made her jumpy. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, trying her best to avoid eye contact with the ground.

“How will you watch the sunset like that?” Solar teased.

“I-I can see it just fine.”

“I’ve never seen you this frightened.” She giggled.

“N-nonsense, I’m not.” She laughed nervously.

“Oh? Really?” Solar raised an eyebrow and slightly shook their seat.

Mi-Cha held onto the seat tighter, her hands moist with sweat. “Please, God. Dear God. Please, sit still.”

“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.” Solar nudged. “Come on, watch the sunset with me. It’s really beautiful. If you miss it, you’ll regret it.”

“F-fine.”

Mi-Cha took a deep breath and slowly opened one eye at a time. She swallowed when her eyes wandered to the ground below her.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Solar questioned, smiling happily.

Mi-Cha turned to Solar and smiled when she saw her. “It is,” she answered sweetly.

They continued their chat, which helped distract Mi-Cha until they were safely back on the ground. She let out a dramatic sigh and exaggerated the noises she made as she stretched before going back to her old self. It caused Solar to laugh until her sides were hurting.

It was time to eat, their stomachs had been growling angrily. Mi-Cha asked Solar to accompany her to dinner. Solar thought of declining at first, but with everything that was happening in her life, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone out. She happily accepted the invitation as she wished to enjoy a night free of worry. Mi-Cha took her to a nice restaurant. The establishment was eloquently decorated. Solar fell in love with it at first sight. They were having a good time until a woman stormed up to them.

“LEE MI-CHA!” she screamed and splashed a cup of water onto Mi-Cha. “You said you were too busy to go on our date and here you are, with another woman!?”

Mi-Cha picked up a towel, wiped her face and sighed. “It’s not—”

“I don’t want to hear it!”The woman looked over to Solar, who backed away trying to avoid meeting the same fate.

“It’s a misunderstanding.” Solar laughed nervously. “We are not—”

“You should be careful before she breaks your heart as well,” the woman warned and slammed the cup onto the table before storming off.

Solar tapped her chest as though she just got the scare of her life. “Who was that!?” She furrowed her brow and sternly questioned Mi-Cha. “Was that your girlfriend?”

“No, I did have a date with her today but I called it off,” she said nonchalantly.

“Because of me?”

“Well, what are friends for if they’re not there when you’re down?”

“Aw~ that’s so sweet,” she said seriously. She followed jokingly, “but please try not to get me killed. I don’t want to end up as collateral damage.”

“That would be a pity. I’ll mourn your loss.”

Solar pretended to be frustrated. “One of these days, you’re going to get strung up by your harem. When that happens, I’m going to enjoy the show on the sidelines.”

“So cruel. Can’t you show a little love?”

“I think you have more than enough of that.”

They continued to enjoy their night together, teasing each other every chance they got. There were quite a few passerby who thought they were a couple and were a bit jealous of how sweet and cute they were together. Mi-Cha gave Solar another exhilarating motorcycle ride around the city before sending her home. Solar screamed and waved her arms in the air, feeling refreshed as though the weight on her shoulders had vanished.

“This feels good!” Solar tried to scream over the wind. “No wonder girls like you!”

“Are you saying they only like to ride on my bike!? Believe it or not, you’re the first girl to ride it!”

“Do you say that to every girl?”

“It’s the truth! You don’t believe me!?”

“I'll believe you when pigs fly!”

“Then I’ll put them on a hoverboard and show it to you tomorrow!”

Solar slapped Mi-Cha on her back. “Focus on your driving!”

“You better hold on tight then!”

When Solar arrived home, her heart was still beating out of control. She thanked Mi-Cha for a fun evening, gave her a hug, and bid her goodnight. Mi-Cha stayed and made sure Solar got in safely before leaving.

Moonbyul was leaning over the balcony and watching the street below as she waited for Solar to get home. She gripped her phone tightly in her hand. The phone was displaying the photos that Kang-Dae had texted her, photos of Solar and Mi-Cha together. In them, Solar was smiling happily, something that Moonbyul hadn’t seen recently. She knew pushing Solar away and letting Solar find someone new would hurt. She hadn’t known how much until now.

She witnessed Solar getting off of Mi-Cha’s bike and they hugged. She sat down on the balcony floor and smiled wryly, frustrated at herself for feeling angry at the outcome she’d hoped for.

When Solar got home she saw the balcony door open, so she went over to check. She found Moonbyul on the floor, her eyes were closed as she leaned her head against the railing. The sight almost made Solar’s heart leap out of her chest. She quickly got closer, worried that Moonbyul was injured again.

Moonbyul opened her eyes and looked at Solar, her tears were falling uncontrollably. She didn’t want Solar to witness such a sight, but she couldn’t contain the pain she was feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Solar questioned as she dried Moonbyul’s tears.

Moonbyul shook her head and hugged Solar tightly. “Nothing. Just a bad dream.”

“It’s alright, I’m here now.” She stroked Moonbyul’s head.

Moonbyul nodded and cherished this moment with Solar, since she’d already determined there wouldn’t be many left.


	9. The Painful Decision (The Past Chapter 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past Part 4 [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

It was the weekend, Moonbyul tried to surprise Solar with breakfast, but the plate slipped out of her hands and shattered, waking Solar from her sleep. Moonbyul was angry with herself. _Why am_ _I_ _so useless?_ She kicked the wall.

Solar jumped out of bed and rushed to the kitchen. “What happened? Are you alright?”

Moonbyul was fuming, so she didn’t reply.

Solar noticed the mess on the floor and assured Moonbyul, “Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up.”

“Don’t touch that.”

As Solar got down to pick up the pieces, Moonbyul pulled her away, causing her to cut her finger. Moonbyul hated herself for hurting Solar. She was worried, wanting to check the wound immediately but decided to act indifferent.

“That’s why I said not to touch it,” she spoke harshly.

“I’m just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.”

Solar sighed, wanting to start her day without a fight.“Byul ah, what’s going on?”

“Do you think I’m useless?”

“You know my answer.”

“Do I?”

“Byul ah, can we please not do this right now?”

“Is it hard dealing with someone like me?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean!” She stormed off.

“Byul ah! MOONBYUL!”

Moonbyul ignored Solar’s scream and slammed the door behind her. _I’m sorry._ She wiped her tears and ran. There was no destination in mind, she kept running until she was exhausted. She slumped on a bench and buried her face into her hands.

She didn’t know how long she’d spent sitting at the park, which was barren compared to the adjacent street. All she knew was when she looked up, the sky was beginning to change from blue to orange. She slowly wandered home. _I_ _wonder how she’s doing?_ She thought about Solar’s wound, which was caused by her carelessness. She cursed herself under her breath.

When she reached her apartment, she placed her forehead on the door and sighed. She hesitated to enter. _How am I suppose_ _d_ _to face her?_ _I know she’ll forgive me, but I don’t deserve it._ Moonbyul took a deep breath and opened the door, hoping to see Solar on the other side. There was only emptiness to be found within. She called out but received no response.

An overwhelming dread welled up within her. _Did she leave?_ The keys slipped out of her hand as she ran to the bedroom closet. She felt relieved when she saw that Solar’s clothes were still there. _What am I doing?_ She dropped onto the bed and held her head. _Didn’t I say I’ll let her go? What’s wrong with me?_ She punched the bed. _I want to hear her voice._ She picked up her phone, her tears dripped onto the screen. _What am I suppose_ _d_ _to say to her?_ In the end, she decided against calling Solar.

It was dark when she heard knocking on the door. _Did she forget her keys?_ Moonbyul happily ran to get it, excited she’d get to see Solar again, wanting to feel the warmth in Solar’s embrace. As she reached for the door handle, the familiar voice on the other side made her stop. She dropped her hand and let out a long, sad sigh.

“Anyone home?” Hwasa called. “Hello?” She knocked again.

It wasn’t long before Hwasa left. Moonbyul slumped onto the couch and scrolled through the photos of Solar on her phone. _I miss you._ She closed her eyes and listened to the voicemails Solar had left. _I wonder how many times I’ve heard them_ _._ A wry smile spread on her face as tears fell from her eyes.

*************************************

Solar’s tears dripped onto her hand as she swept up the shards. _I didn’t even know I was crying._ She dried them off, but they kept on flowing. Her heart was heavy and her head was hurting. She sat down at the kitchen table, clasped her hands together, and rested her head upon them. She let out a long, sullen sigh.

It was around noon when someone knocked on her door. Solar perked up, thinking Moonbyul had returned. _She must have forgotten her keys when she ran out earlier._ Solar rushed to greet Moonbyul. When she found Whee-In on the other side instead, her smile vanished.

“Not happy to see me?” Whee-In raised an eyebrow.

Solar shook her head. “It’s not that.”

Whee-In glanced around but didn’t see anyone else. “Where’s Moonbyul?”

“She went out,” Solar answered sadly.

“Did you two fight again?” she questioned concernedly.

“Something like that.” She sighed. “What are you doing here anyway?” Before Whee-In could answer, Solar remembered her agreement to spend the day with Whee-In. “Whee-In, I’m sorry, I don’t think I can today.”

Whee-In thought about it for a moment and refused to accept Solar’s answer. If she left Solar alone to sulk, she knew it wouldn’t make Solar feel any better. She was determined to get Solar out of the house. It was the best course of action, at least that was what she believed. She begged and pleaded, acting as cute as she could until Solar gave in.

Solar didn’t think there was any harm in Whee-In’s request. _I did promise_ _her,_ _after all._ She accepted without any more protest and went to change her clothes. Whee-In took her to an outdoor festival, where she got Solar to join in on the synchronized dancing. They also played a few games with the children. It took a bit before Solar’s heart was in it, but Whee-In felt relieved when she saw Solar enjoying herself.

They spent quite a while there, jumping from one event to the next. There was tag, where Whee-In conspired with the children to make Solar ‘it’ as much as possible. Once Solar realized she was ‘it’ more often than not, she protested, which caused an uproar of laughter. Next was synchronized jump rope with ten people. Solar declined, but the moment Whee-In dragged her in, her body automatically did its own thing despite her protest. They also won prizes for their little companions, who followed them around the fair and fended off the advances of nearby suitors.

It was getting late, but the children refused to go home with their parents. After many tantrums and fake tears, they conceded and left when Whee-In and Solar calmly talked to them. Their final destination before ending the evening was a wishing well. _I wish Moonbyul will be happy._ Solar clasped her hands together and prayed wholeheartedly. She gave the coin a kiss before throwing it into the fountain, smiling happily as it sank to the bottom.

Solar was glad she’d gone out with Whee-In today. She had fun and met a lot of new people, almost as if her life had gone back to normal. They went back to Solar’s house, where Hwasa was waiting outside for Whee-In.

“What are you doing out here? Why didn’t you go in?” Solar questioned.

“I knocked, but no one answered,” Hwasa replied.

“I guess she’s not home yet,” Solar said softly.

“Did you have fun?” Hwasa asked sweetly when Whee-In ran up to her.

“Mhm.” Whee-In nodded fervently.

“Did you have fun, unnie?” Hwasa asked Solar.

“What?” She was distracted and didn’t hear the question.

“Did you have fun?” she repeated.

“Yes, I had a great time.” She smiled.

“I’m glad you did,” Whee-In said delightfully.

“You guys want to come in?”

“Nah, it’s a little late. Rain check?” Hwasa replied.

“Alright. Drive safely.”

“Okay. Tell Moonbyul we said hi,” Whee-In said happily.

“I will. Goodnight.” She gave them a hug.

“Goodnight, unnie,” they said sweetly.

Solar found Moonbyul sleeping on the couch when she entered their apartment. A sense of relief entered her heart, she smiled as she approached. She knelt down beside Moonbyul and saw tears streaming from Moonbyul’s eyes. Moonbyul’s face was half buried into the couch. Her heart stung at the sight. She gently tucked Moonbyul’s hair behind her ear and dried the tears. She kissed Moonbyul’s forehead and laid her head down next to Moonbyul.

“Don’t be sad. I’m here now,” she whispered.

Moonbyul felt the warmth of Solar’s hand as Solar caressed her face. It woke her from her nightmare and brought her a sense of peace. She smiled when she opened her eyes and saw Solar. She held Solar’s hand and gave it a kiss before asking Solar to come lay next to her. As they embraced each other, they exchanged a sweet kiss.

“How are you feeling?” Solar questioned softly.

Moonbyul shook her head. “I’m fine.” She paused. “I’m sorry about earlier. How’s your hand?”

“You don’t have to apologize.” She smiled. “It healed, see?”

She let Moonbyul examine the cut. Moonbyul gave it a kiss and held Solar’s hand against her chest. She hugged Solar tightly and kissed Solar’s forehead. It didn’t take long for Moonbyul’s stomach to grumble. She’d spent the day with her emotions in turmoil, now that Solar was there to ease her aching heart, her appetite had returned.

“Did you eat today?”

Moonbyul shook her head. “No.”

Solar raised her hand and Moonbyul quickly closed her eyes, anticipating a playful slap on the arm. Solar smiled and flicked Moonbyul’s forehead instead. They went into the kitchen to cook. Instead of cooking, they threw ingredients at each other. It was almost impossible to get anything done, but they were satisfied all the same. It’d been a while since they’d made each other smile this happily. Their life was going back to normal, at least they felt like it was.

The night was too short. They didn’t want it to end. All the happiness they were sharing in each other’s company, they feared would disappear by dawn. They hugged tightly and fell asleep in each other’s arms. A mixture of feelings stirred within their hearts.

********************************************

Solar was happily humming as she got ready to head home. Her life really seemed like it was getting back on track. In the last few weeks, Moonbyul was drinking less; they didn’t argue as much; she was able to concentrate at work; her vacation days were approved; and Moonbyul might start doing physical therapy again soon. She felt like she could take on the world. As she was leaving, she stopped to check the notification she’d just received on her phone. It was a text from Moonbyul.

“Are you on your way home? Kang-Dae invited us to dinner.”

Her smile vanished the moment she saw his name. Kang-Dae was the last person she wanted to interact with; one of the few people she could genuinely say she hated. If they were in the same room, she might truly hit him this time. In fact, she regretted not breaking his jaw during their last confrontation.

She didn’t want to get into a fight with Kang-Dae and put Moonbyul in a difficult situation. Their relationship was just starting to get back to normal and she wanted to avoid jeopardizing that. It was the smartest choice to avoid him altogether, at least she believed that was the best course of action.

“I have to work overtime today.”

“I didn’t know you had overtime today.”

“It was last minute.”

“Alright. Don’t forget to eat.”

“I won’t. You go have a good time, but don’t drink too much.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Solar sat down at the nearest bench and sighed. _What am I doing?_ She regretted lying to Moonbyul. _It’s for the best, right_ _?_ She bit her bottom lip and stared at the ground, contemplating her action. _I guess there’s n_ _o point thinking about it_ _now_ _. What’s done is done._ She glanced at her watch, the time was passing by slowly. _I guess I have to wait a while before I can head home._ She lay down on the bench and messed around on her phone.

It wasn’t long until someone sneaked up and scared her. She shrieked and flailed her arms around, causing her phone to hit the person’s head.

“Oh my god, are you okay!?”

Mi-Cha held her head and whimpered. “Help, Nurse Kim tried to murder me.”

Solar sighed. “I did warn you not to scare me. You deserved it!” she said jokingly.

“So mean,” Mi-Cha pouted as she rubbed her head. “Anyway, what are you still doing here? Aren’t you going home?”

“I was.”

“Then what happened?”

“Eh, nothing big. Just trying to kill some time. What about you?”

“Grabbing food before I start my night shift. If you’re not doing anything, want to come along?”

Solar shrugged. “Sure, I could use some food.”

Moonbyul wasn’t in the mood to hang out with Kang-Dae now that Solar had declined. She sent him a text, telling him they weren’t going to make it. _What should I do till she gets home?_ She started marching through the house, wiping down surfaces and tidying up a few messes, although it was slow with only one usable hand.

While cleaning, Moonbyul found a letter. It was addressed to Solar, notifying her that she’d been accepted into a doctorate program. She would have to go overseas first to finish her studies, before starting her official training in the hospital. _I remember her being really excited about this._ _Why didn’t she tell me_ _she got in_ _?_ Moonbyul tried to find a reason. _It’s her dream._ _Did she give_ _it_ _up to take care of me?_ She sighed. _I can’t let her do that._ She checked the date on the paper and realized that there wasn’t much time left for Solar to reply. _What should I do?_ _I know she won’t leave_ _with things the way they are._

Moonbyul was in a daze when the grandfather clock notified her a new hour had started. She looked up to check the time. _It’s time for dinner already? I wonder if she ha_ _s_ _eaten._ An idea ran through her head. _I know, I_ _could_ _order some food and bring it to her._ She smiled happily, trying to ward off the turmoil brewing inside of her. _We can spend some time together,_ _even if it’s_ _only for a_ _short_ _while_ _._ She ordered some takeout.

Instead of getting it delivered, she picked it up and went straight to the hospital. She walked by a restaurant and thought she saw Solar inside. Out of curiosity, she turned around to check but never expected it to be true. _Didn’t she say she_ _had_ _to work overtime?_ She let out a soft sigh, almost as if she was relieved. _I guess she’d rather lie than_ _see_ _Kang-Dae._ She smiled wryly. _I’m sorry I made you lie, I know you hate doing that._ Moonbyul glanced over to Solar’s companion, it was the same person from the pictures Kang-Dae had sent her.

Moonbyul noticed how happy Solar was and couldn’t help but smile along. _With_ _out me she’ll be happier._ _I can finally say goodbye to her._ Even though the thought of separation was painful, she walked home wearing a smile on her face, believing she’d made the right choice.

Solar thought someone was watching her, but when she glanced around, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Solar shook her head and took a bite of her potato.

“I heard you got accepted into the doctorate program. Congrats.”

“I’m not going.”

“Why? It’s a good opportunity. You won’t get another chance.”

“I know, but can’t leave Moonbyul like this.”

“Have you talked to her? What did she say?”

“I haven’t told her.”

“You should. Maybe she’ll go with you.”

“She won’t. She’ll think of herself as a burden.”

“You sound so sure.”

“Because I am.”

“I think you should talk to her about it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The atmosphere became a bit tense, Mi-Cha tried to lighten the mood but it was for naught. Solar brooded as she stabbed the fork into her potato. Her mind was occupied with Moonbyul and the thoughts of being away from Moonbyul made her lost her appetite. The rest of dinner passed in relative silence. Mi-Cha made sure Solar got a cab before returning to work.

The moment Moonbyul came through her apartment door, she dropped to her knees, held her chest, and wept. _I thought I could hold on a little longer. I guess I was wrong._ The pain was unbearable. It was suffocating her. _If it feels like this now, how much worse will it be once she leave_ _s_ _me?_ When she realized she was hesitating, she scoffed at her own weakness. _I can’t let this deter me. I must see it through._ She dried her tears to prepare for the worst night of her life.

She got up and dropped the takeout containers on the coffee table. The apartment was dark. She walked over to the balcony door, where the moonlight was crawling through, dimly lighting up the surrounding area. She placed her hand on the glass, feeling the cold air penetrate her skin. She looked up at the moon, the calm night brought her a small sense of peace.

“Please, give me strength,” she closed her eyes and whispered.

After a while, she took a few deep breaths and thought of the different scenarios she could use to push Solar away. As they played out in her head, it felt like each new idea opened another wound inside her heart. She hit her chest to try and numb the pain as she readied herself for the coming uphill battle with her own emotions. The surest way she could think of to make Solar leave was to shatter any hope Solar had left in her. She needed to break Solar’s heart, the thought of it made her hate herself. She sat with her back leaning against the balcony door, hoping the winter air would freeze her burning heart.

Solar came home to an empty house, at least that was her initial impression since the lights were off. _I guess she’s still not home._ She turned on the lights and jumped when she noticed a figure sitting on the couch. She tapped her chest and let out a long sigh when she realized it was Moonbyul.

“What are you doing sitting in the dark?”

Moonbyul didn’t reply, she didn’t look at Solar either. She glared at the emptiness in front of her as she clenched her fists. If her nails were sharp, her fingers would have pierced the skin on her palms. _How a_ _m_ _I_ _suppose_ _d_ _to_ _d_ _o_ _this?_ She could hear the thumping of her heart as it beat uncontrollably. _No matter what, I must hold steady till the very end._

Solar changed into her indoor slippers and came closer. She noticed the bag on the table with the logo of the restaurant they frequent. “You got takeout? Did you eat there?” She didn’t want to mention Kang-Dae.

“Where were you?” Moonbyul questioned sternly.

“I—” She didn’t want to lie again, but she had to keep her story consistent. “I was working overtime. I texted you about it.”

Moonbyul stood up. _I must act angry._ She turned and glared at Solar. “You’re home early for someone working overtime,” she said harshly.

“I—I—”

“Where were you?” she asked once more, her brow furrowed.

“I was—” She looked away, unable to face Moonbyul. “I was eating dinner with Mi-Cha.”

“Why did you lie?”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“You didn’t mean to?” Moonbyul scoffed. “You lied to spend time with her and you’re telling me you didn’t mean to?”

“It’s not like that. I—”

“If it’s not like that then what!?” she yelled.

“Mi-Cha and I are just friends!”

“Friends? You lied to me for a friend? Do you think I’m stupid!?”

“I didn’t lie to you because of her!”

“Sure,” she said sarcastically, “and hanging out with her wasn’t planned.”

“It wasn’t!”

“Have you slept with her?”

“What?” Solar was speechless.

“I asked if you had sex with her!?”

“Moonbyul, do you even know what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying you two are ‘friends’ who ended up in bed together!”

“Don’t insult us!” Solar’s voice shook.

“How many times has it been?” She took a step forward and Solar took a step back.

“We did no such thing!”

“Did it feel good to cheat?”

“How could you say that to me!?” Solar’s back was now against the wall.

“Did she touch you like this?”

Moonbyul pressed one hand against the wall, with the other she caressed Solar’s face and lifted Solar’s chin to give her a kiss. Solar’s eyes were brimming with tears. She slapped Moonbyul and pushed her away. It was the first time she’d hit Moonbyul without any playful meaning behind it. The thought of being touched by Moonbyul scared her. Even in her wildest dream, she would never have imagined she could feel this way about someone she’d loved so deeply. And yet, her heart was getting overwhelmed by such a feeling.

Moonbyul rubbed her cheek and scoffed. “And you say there’s nothing going on between you?”

Solar gripped her chest, a sharp pain was piercing through. She fell to her knees, tears dripping onto the floor. “How did we get to this point?”

Moonbyul turned away, the sight of Solar in pain was ripping her heart to pieces. She gritted her teeth as she tried to bear it, although she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up the facade much longer.

Solar took a deep breath to calm her shaking voice before she spoke. “We should spend some time apart to calm down.”

“There’s no need,” Moonbyul said bluntly. “Let’s just end it here. I want to break up with you.” She kept a steady voice, but her tears were falling.

“You don’t mean that.” Solar looked up at her in shock but Moonbyul didn’t turn around.

“I do.”

Moonbyul spoke quickly and left before she broke down in front of Solar. She ran until she knew Solar wouldn’t be able to hear her and cursed her very own existence. She stopped in front of the ocean and knelt in its icy water, hoping it would freeze her shattered heart. The cold waves splashed against her, but they could not douse a fraction of her fury. She screamed at the top of her lung and fell on her back. She gripped onto the sand beneath her and wept silently under the moonlight.

Solar laid her head on the floor and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She hit her chest as if it would help ease her pain. She’d never felt so utterly defeated. Never once did she imagine their love could feel so desolate, that the possibility of giving up would cross her mind. The silence used to bring her peace, but at this moment it was only filling her with despair.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to remember the warmth and comfort Moonbyul’s embrace used to bring. _Where did we go wrong?_ She curled up and cried, their memories played in her head. Before long, the wail of her phone woke her from her dream. She opened her eyes and Moonbyul was laying in front of her, smiling sweetly.

“Why are you crying?” Moonbyul helped dry her tears.

Solar shook her head and smiled wryly. She closed her eyes and hesitated to open them. She knew the Moonbyul she’d just saw was an illusion. Even though it hurt, she was glad to have seen Moonbyul’s smiling face. After a few minutes, her phone rang again. She looked at the caller ID, it belonged to the head nurse.

She took a deep breath before she answered, “hello?” she said weakly.

“Nurse Kim? Sorry to bother you during your vacation,” she paused. “Are you okay? You don’t sound so good.”

“I’m fine. Is something the matter? Do you need me to come in?”

“No, nothing like that. I’m calling in regard to the doctorate program. Have you given it some thought?”

“No. I’m sorry, I haven’t.”

“Nurse Kim, you’re one of the few nurses from our hospital to ever get accepted. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll call you back in a few days. Please, give it some serious consideration.”

“I will.”

After the call, she dragged herself into the bathroom. Her body was weak and she felt faint. She splashed water on her face and stared in the mirror. A weary reflection was looking back at her. She held her aching heart, her tears mixed with water dripped onto her shirt.

Moonbyul had been sitting in the corner of the motel room she’d rented. Her tears had never left her eyes. Since early morning, Solar had been calling her and leaving voicemails.

“Byul ah, please come home.”

“Byul ah, please, can we talk about it?”

“Byul ah, I miss you.”

Solar had left over a hundred of them and she was crying in every single one. Moonbyul had to force herself to ignore them and it felt like a knife was piercing her heart each time. Eventually her phone died, which she thought was for the best and left it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *It was a hectic week last week. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving (if you don't celebrate it I hope you had a great week as well).  
> **I don't generally read fanfics so I was hoping to get some opinions about my story compare to the others you guys have read. Is it more or less similar?  
> ***Moonbyul getting slapped was a hard scene to write. I had to change it a few times. I wanted it to be slapable without it being too vulgar. I hope it turned out well.  
> ****I appreciate you guys checking out my story and hope that you're having a good time reading it :)


	10. Farewell (The Past Chapter 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past Part 5 [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

It had been two days since Moonbyul left. Solar’s calls had been going straight to voicemail since last night. _She still ha_ _s_ _her phone off._ Solar grabbed her bag and went to find Moonbyul. She knew exactly where, there was only one place Moonbyul would go when she wanted to be alone.

Moonbyul was lying on the bed, staring soullessly at the sky. She sighed constantly as she traced the word Solar with her finger. Once in a while, her tears would escape. She didn’t bother to wipe them off, instead opted to continue her endless ritual. It wasn’t long before someone came knocking on her door. As though she instinctively knew who it was, she sat up immediately and looked in its direction.

“Byul ah, can you open the door?”

She heard Solar’s voice and ran to the door, but stopped herself before she could open it. _I must remember why I’m doing this._ She leaned on the nearby wall and closed her eyes.

“Byul ah, I know you’re in there.”

“Go away!”

“Can’t we talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

“Byul ah, please, I really want to talk to you.”

Solar’ s plea fell on deaf ears .  She sat down and rested her head against the door, tears fell as she  spoke . 

“Byul ah, I don’t know where we went wrong. I don’t know how we got to this point, but I don’t want to give up. Not when you still mean so much to me. Please, say you feel the same way. Can’t we try again? I know we can do better. We can, as long as we’re together. Please, say something.”

No matter how much Solar pleaded, Moonbyul refused to talk. Moonbyul sat on the other side and listened to Solar’s every word, covering her mouth as she silently cried. The night had fallen and the winter air chilled Solar to the bones, bringing shivers down her spine. She hugged her legs and rested her head on her knees. She waited until morning but Moonbyul still hadn’t budged. 

“ I ordered food.”  She knocked but it was ignored.  “Please, let me see you. Even a second is enough. I miss you, Byul ah.” She waited but there was no response. “ I understand. I’ll leave now. Please, eat something.”

Moonbyul  rested her head on the door  and thought about what Solar had said . She wanted to give comfort to Solar  and i t hurt her deeply that she  had to restrain herself .  _Why won’t you give up?_ She closed her eyes and sighed.  _Please, I don’t want to hurt you anymore._

Solar came back later that evening, but the outcome was still the same. Moonbyul refused to see her or talk to her. In the end, she had no choice but to leave without  accomplishing either.

************************************

It was late-afternoon on the fourth day when she came to visit Moonbyul again. She was happy when the door opened after the first few knocks. Her burst of excitement was shattered however, when the person on the other side was someone unexpected.

“Who are you?” Solar questioned instinctively, perplexed by the situation.

The woman was taken aback. “And who are you?” She raised an eyebrow.

Solar quickly examined the woman, who was barely clothed. “Are you here alone?” She was hesitant to ask.

“You’re asking quite personal—Oh, you must be Solar,” she spoke and clasped her hands together as if she was expecting Solar’s arrival.

“You know me?”

“Yeah, Moonbyul said you’ve been coming to bother her even though it’s over between you.”

“It’s not over.” Solar furrowed her brow.

“Why won’t you just accept it and move on?”

“Did she ask you to tell me that? Where is she?”

“Inside,” she said casually. Solar pushed her aside and came in. “Moonbyul, you have a guest,” she yelled and rolled her eyes.

Moonbyul was dressed in a bathrobe. She sighed and slipped her hands in her pockets when she saw Solar. They hadn’t seen each other in a few days, but Solar had never expected this kind of reunion.

Solar stormed up to her. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” She scoffed.

“Do you mind?” Solar said to the woman, who was now sitting on the bed.

“Oh, do you want me to leave?”

“You don’t have to.” Moonbyul replied.

“Who is she?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Byul ah, this is not like you. What are you trying to do?”

“Do you know me?” she said mockingly. “Because I thought I knew you, but I was wrong.”

“I didn’t cheat on you. Why won’t you believe me?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over between us.”

She held Moonbyul’s hand. “Please, can’t we go home? We can talk about this.”

“ We’ve talked enough .”  She pulled her hand away.

“Please, I beg you. Come home with me.”

“How about I beg you? Please, leave me alone, alright? You’re suffocating me,” she said irritably. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“ Byul ah, y ou don’t mean that.”  Solar gripped onto Moonbyul’s arm.

“I do!” She yanked her arm away angrily, causing Solar to fall. She instinctively reached out her hand, but pulled back before it made contact. Slipping it back in her pocket, she gritted her teeth and sighed softly, suppressing the aching in her heart as she readied herself for the final blow. She glanced down at Solar and spoke coldly, “Kim Solar, you’re a nuisance. You kept speaking of love, but our love was a joke.”

The words shattered Solar’s heart. She looked up with her brow furrowed and raised her hand, but decided not to follow through. Tears wet her face as she looked into Moonbyul’s eyes, the familiar feeling was mixed with something foreign. It made her question whether she had the right to defend the love that had been tainted by mistrust. The love that was becoming something she wasn’t able to recognize.

Solar wiped her tears and stood up proudly. If their love was truly reaching its conclusion, she didn’t want to remember only the sadness.  A t  the very least,  she wanted to safeguard the ir happy memories, even if she had to lock them away in her heart.

“ Do you wish to never see me again ?” she asked  hesitantly .

Although it was painful, Moonbyul replied  immediately , “ Y es.”

Solar couldn’t stop herself from crying, but kept her voice calm as she spoke, “Then I will do as you wish.” She headed for the exit but stopped at the door. _Once I leave this room, will I truly have to accept that this is the end?_ She glanced back but Moonbyul turned away. She looked up at the darkening sky and smiled wryly as she watched the dim moonlight becoming brighter. Her tears glistened under its embrace. After taking in a deep breath she said in a soft voice, “forgive me, I never meant to hurt you.”

After Solar left, Moonbyul dropped onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. Her tears seeped through the crevasses of her fingers.

“I don’t understand,” the woman began. “It’s obvious you still love each other. Why would you do that to her? Did she really cheat?”

“Of course not. She’s not that type of person!” Moonbyul spoke harshly, wiping her tears.

“Then why would you—?”

“You’re not here to ask questions.”

“You’re right, but I hope you know what you’re doing. Don’t regret it.”

“You can leave.”

The woman sighed and grabbed her belongings. Moonbyul curled up on the bed and thought of Solar as she wept.

On her way home, Solar received another call from the head nurse asking her about the doctorate program once more. She could no longer find a reason to refuse. Without Moonbyul, it didn’t matter where she was going or what she was doing. _This might be for the best._ _She won’t see me this way._ Solar accepted without any further delay. _This will_ _make her happier_ _,_ _right?_ The head nurse happily gave Solar instructions about the trip, but Solar was unable to process them in her current state.

She went home to pack her bags and sat down to write her farewell to Moonbyul. She hesitated and only wrote it a couple of days later. Before she even wrote the first word, her tears were already soaking the paper, rendering it unusable. Although she tried her best, it was impossible for her not to cry. All she could do was rewrite the letter until it was legible.

********************************

It was a little over a week since they had last seen each other. Solar had finished her letter and it was sitting on the table. She’d also sent a message to Moonbyul, detailing the time she was leaving. There were only a few hours left. She had been staring at the door, wishing Moonbyul would come bursting through. Wishing to see Moonbyul’s smiling face as she asked her to stay.

As she heard footsteps stopping outside her door, she stood up. Her heart was beating out of control, anticipating for the knob to turn. The door opened and the person screamed excitedly. She dropped back down on her seat and shook her head. _What am I thinking about?_ She smiled at the silly notion as she stared at her front door, still shut tightly. The commotion was coming from her next door neighbor.

Although she thought it was silly, it didn’t deter her from hoping that her wish would come true. The grandfather clock signaled that the hour of her departure had arrived. _In the end, she’s not coming._ Solar took off her engagement ring and placed it atop the letter. She glanced at it one last time.

“Farewell, Byul ah,” she dried her eyes and whispered, “I love you.”

When she stepped outside, the snow had piled up on the ground and the taxi was waiting to take her away. She stopped and turned her head, the image of her departure was not how she’d imagined. Her friends were not there; the love she thought would last forever was too broken to mend; her reality was a cloud of darkness on a clear day. The only thing seeing her off were a lonely set of footprints left by her on the snow. _What a sorry sight._ She gave a mocking smile.

She looked down the street. _Maybe if I wait just a bit more, she_ _will_ _appear._ She clasped her hands together, almost as if she was praying. A glimmer of hope was still lingering in her heart, but in the end it was for naught. The taxi driver had finished loading her luggage and was waiting on her. She looked at the apartment building one last time, took a deep breath, and let out a long sullen sigh. _I have to go now,_ _Byul ah._ _T_ _ake care of yourself._

Solar entered the taxi, bearing her heavy heart alone as she forged her path forward. The beautiful city lights brought a slight smile to her face. She rolled down the window and enjoyed the cool air as it froze the tears brimming on her eyes. The ride was relatively silent, with only a few awkward questions at the beginning. She navigated through the busy airport and waited at the assigned gate. After she’d settled down in the waiting area, she took out her phone to message Hwasa and Whee-In, although she was hesitant to do so.

DoReMi: Can you guys go talk to Moonbyul? Tell her she can go home. She’s in the usual place.

HwaLion: U2 fought? -.-

DoReMi: no, we no longer have a reason to fight.

HwaLion: Y u no talk 2 her? o.O

DoReMi: It’s hard for us to talk.

HwaLion: So, U2 did fight. -.-

DoReMi: No.

HwaLion: wat’s wrong then? O.O

DoReMi: You’ll know when you talk to her.

HwaLion: U’r acting weird. o.o Everything good???

DoReMi: Everything’s fine. Just go talk to Moonbyul.

HwaLion: (thumbs up emoji).

DoReMi: Make sure you two take care of yourselves.

Hwasa was a bit confused. Solar’s words seemed as though they wouldn’t be able to see her again. She thought she was just reading too much into it and decided to give Moonbyul a call, but it went straight to voicemail. _What’s going on?_ She dialed again with the same result. She tapped her foot impatiently as she called Solar’s cell. _Strange,_ _she just texted me. W_ _hy isn’t she pi_ _c_ _king up?_ She paced around her apartment with one hand on her hip as she tried to reach Solar and Moonbyul, but her calls were not getting through.

Whee-In came out of the bathroom and went over to Hwasa, wondering what was bothering her. Hwasa showed her the text messages and tried her best to explain the situation she was still trying to grasp herself. Whee-In agreed that it was strange, so they tried calling again but it was for naught. They hurriedly put on some warmer clothes and left to find the couple.

Hwasa drove while Whee-In continued her attempts to reach Solar and Moonbyul. They got to the apartment and knocked on the door, but no one answered. After knocking a few more times, they headed for the motel to try their luck. Whee-In wasn’t sure how many times she’d dialed Solar’s number in the last twenty minutes, but she was ecstatic when Solar finally picked up. Hwasa went into the motel to look for Moonbyul, while Whee-In stayed in the car to talk to Solar.

It took a while before Solar got to her seat on the plane, meanwhile her phone kept buzzing in her purse. She was busy boarding, so she didn’t check it until she sat down. She sighed when she saw who was blowing up her phone, knowing full well it would happen when she decided to message her friends. It didn’t make her feel any less guilty however, having left them in the dark about her departure. She hesitated to answer, but picked up in the end.

“Unnie? Unnie! Thank god, you finally picked up! We went to your house but no one answered the door. Where are you?”

“I’m going overseas for a while.”

“You’re what!?” Whee-In sighed before she commented, “Your joke isn’t funny.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Unnie, come on, I’m being serious here.”

“So am I.”

Whee-In waited for Solar’s confirmation that it was a bad joke, but it never came. The only thing that followed was the silence that Solar was in no hurry to break.

“Wait, you’re dead serious!?” Whee-In raised her voice.

“Yes.”

“Unnie, what’s going on?”

“I—”

“Why didn’t you say anything to us?”

“I was go—”

“What about Moonbyul? Is she with you?”

Solar waited, thinking Whee-In was going to continue bombarding her with questions.

“Unnie?”

“Slow down. One question at a time.”

Whee-In took a deep breath and began again. “Is Moonbyul with you?”

“No.” She sighed sullenly before she finished her sentence. “We broke up.”

“YOU WHAT!?”

Solar had to move the phone away from her ear. “We broke up,” she repeated, still wishing she’d wake from this nightmare.

Whee-In was baffled. “What? How? When? Why?”

“Miss, we’re about to take off. Please fasten your seat-belt and turn off your phone.”

Solar sighed in relief. The wound was still too fresh. “Whee-In ah, I have to go. The plane is about to take off.”

“Wait, you’re already on a plane?”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Unnie, wait—!”

Whee-In tried to call Solar but it went to voicemail. She dialed again but the outcome was the same. She rushed into the motel to find Hwasa, and possibly Moonbyul so she could make heads or tails of the situation.

Hwasa went straight to the room Moonbyul normally stayed in. “Moonbyul, are you in there?”

Moonbyul sighed, but continued to stay silent.

“I know you’re in there. If you don’t open this door, I’m going to break it down.” Hwasa wasn’t sure if it’d work, but she screamed it out all the same.

Moonbyul was left with no other choice if she wanted to avoid property damage. “What do you want?”  She cracked open the door and Hwasa pushed on through.

“What’s going on between you and Solar?”

Moonbyul slumped onto the chair, her face still wet from tears. She sighed and although it was painful to admit, she replied, “I broke up with her.”

“ W hat!? ”  Hwasa was taken  aback . “I don’t think I heard you correctly. You broke up with Solar?”

“ Yes,”  she paused and dried her tears. “ I did.”

“ Why?”  She was baffled. “Are you tell ing me you don’t love her anymore?” She scoffed. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror?”

“ Of course I  still love her .”

“ Then explain to me why you broke up with her?”

“ She deserves someone better. I’m nothing but a burden.”

Hwasa sighed irritably. “How long do you plan on keeping that up?”

“ I— ”

“You’ve been wallowing in your self-pity. Have you considered what she wanted? Have you asked her!?”

“ I just want her to be happier! Is that so wrong!?”

“ Is that what she sa id or is that what you think!?”

“What’s the difference?”

“The difference is w hat you did was selfish!  All you did was r u n away from  your problem!”

Moonbyul was silent. She couldn't refute Hwasa’s claim. 

Hwasa  placed her hands on her hips and sighed. “Are you  really okay with the way things are? Are you going to let it end and give up just like that?”

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“You’re stronger than this. You know what to do.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Moonbyul—”

“I can’t listen to this anymore!” Whee-In stormed in the room, she’d been listening in on the conversation for the last few minutes. “Wake up!” she said as she slapped Moonbyul.

“Whee-In what are you—” Hwasa noticed Whee-In was crying. “What’s wrong?”

“ Solar  U nnie left.”

“What do you mean?” Hwasa asked. “Where did she go?”

“She’s going overseas.”

“Then let’s go find her. We can still—”

“It’s too late. Her plane took off already.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She glared up at Moonbyul, “Are you happy now?”

“Whee-In!” Hwasa said sternly.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.” She ran out of the room.

“ Go after her,”  Moonbyul said sullenly. “I need a moment to myself.”

Hwasa looked over at Moonbyul  and sighed.  There was nothing she could say  that  w ould make Moonbyul feel  any  better, so she  chose to remain silent.

Moonbyul headed home, each step  t ook her closer to a nightmare she didn’t want to face, but one she’d chosen for herself.  S he  waded through the  bustling  street noise s ,  while her  own  world was dead silent.  Her sadness was but a small existence being drowned in an ocean of  emotions .

Her hand shook as she rested it upon the door knob, knowing that the other side no longer contained the only happiness she’d ever wanted. There was only loneliness waiting for her, one that was more than willing to imprison her in its embrace. She smiled as tears fell, the image of Solar welcoming her home fading into dust before her. 

Moonbyul noticed Solar’s engagement ring glimmering faintly on the table and saw the tear-stained blemishes on the letter before she’d even picked it up. Her own tears mixed themselves in as she read each word.

\-----------------------------------------------

 _Byul ah, i_ _f you’re reading this, it means that_ _you’ve finally c_ _o_ _me home. A home I wish still had a place for me,_ _but sadly_ _it doesn’t._ _I’m no longer welcom_ _e_ _in your heart,_ _and without_ _your love_ _I_ _can’t call it_ _my_ _home_ _._ _I’m sorry, I was blind to your suffering._ _I_ _just_ _didn’t want to_ _admit that_ _our love_ _had c_ _o_ _me_ _to an end,_ _but i_ _t was selfish of me to do so._

 _I’ve been thinking_ _a lot_ _the last few days_ _._ _I thought about how bright and full of life y_ _our smile was_ _when we first met;_ _about the last two years we’ve spent together;_ _about_ _a_ _ll the happiness you brought into my life._ _I_ _can’t_ _stop smiling_ _when t_ _he thought of_ _you_ _enter_ _s_ _my mind. But when I_ _realize_ _you’re no longer a part of my life_ _,_ _I_ _can’t_ _stop myself from_ _crying. Do you find that silly?_

 _I still can’t_ _believe that our t_ _ime_ _together ha_ _s_ _c_ _o_ _me to an end_ _,_ _but I know_ _that t_ _he longer_ _I_ _try to hold_ _on, the deeper_ _it’_ _ll_ _hurt you_ _._ _I_ _only_ _hope that_ _you know_ _my love for you was sincere_ _._ _Our memories;_ _our love; everything we’ve been through;_ _I don’t want to taint it anymore than I already have._ _T_ _hat’s why_ _, as_ _long as you’re happy, I’m willing to walk this path alone. One day, I hope we can still face each other,_ _even if it’_ _s_ _j_ _ust as_ _friends_ _._

_Byul ah, I never regretted our times together. My only regret was that I’ve brought you pain and sadness. I hope you’ll be able to find your happiness._ _Farewell,_ _I will always treasure_ _o_ _ur memories together_ _._

_\-----------------------------------------------_

_It wasn’t your fault._ Moonbyul held the letter against her chest and sat in the deafening silence. The sun made itself known by lighting up the world beautifully, but her heart was as dead as a moonless night. With the passage of time, she felt the only thing remaining by her side was her empty shell.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped everyone had a good holiday :) Here's the next chapter. I would love to hear your thoughts ^^


	11. A New Beginning (The Past Chapter 6 Finale)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Past - Part 6 (Final Part for the Past Timeline)  
> [This chapter contains no scene from the Present Timeline]

The plane ride was long and tiring, and although Solar had reached her new destination, she did not bring with her the cheery spirit to celebrate. The bustling airport was filled with new wonders; filled with laughter; filled with people excited about the coming holidays, but it could not reignite the joy within her heart.

Solar looked at her phone, knowing the one person she wanted to hear from would no longer speak to her. She didn’t want to turn it back on, but she had to since she needed it to find her foreign contact, who was supposed to meet her at the airport. Whee-In’s message popped up as soon as her phone came on.

“Unnie, tell us when you’ve arrived. We just want to know you’re safe.”

When she was about to reply, her foreign contact messaged her. She thought it would be rude if she didn’t answer straight away as she needed to give details of her whereabouts. Once that was established, she messaged Whee-In to assure her she’d arrived safely. In the midst of the crowded sidewalk, the rowdy children bumped into her, causing her phone to slipped out of her hand. She tried to catch it but ended up knocking it further away. It slid into the street and was crushed underneath a passing vehicle.

She sighed at her misfortune and thought to salvage what she could before any more damage could be done. She carefully retrieved the broken pieces, which took more time than she’d intended. When she turned around to head back to her luggage, a commotion had erupted with her suitcase being the object of interest. Two men were wrestling for it, each grabbing onto one side.

The argument settled quickly with one man walking away irritably. She rushed back to her luggage, unsure if she’d be able to get her belongings back. Luckily, the young man handed it to her without fuss.

“You shouldn’t leave your things unattended.”

“Thank you. I’ll be more careful.”

He noticed the name tag on her luggage. “Are you Miss Kim Yong-Sun? Here for the doctorate program?”

“How did you know?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Seung-Ho. A second year in the same program. The campus sent me to pick you up and show you around. Did you get my messages earlier?”

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry if I didn’t reply to your messages, my phone broke.” She held up her tattered phone.

“No worries.” He gave a gentle smile. “You can use the phone on campus. Shall we get going?”

“Yes.”

On the way to campus, Seung-Ho told her of a few places she could visit if she ever wanted to explore. He also warned her of the places to avoid. Once she was done with her paperwork, he showed her the campus grounds, giving her tips on the best ways to get around if she ever was in a rush to get to class.

They ended up having a meal together, although in her current state Solar knew she wasn’t a good companion to be around. There wasn’t much she could do, she wasn’t able to control her broken heart. Without realizing, her tears dripped onto her food. She apologized, but instead of prying, Seung-Ho told her his infamously lame jokes. It brought a smile to her face, however slight. On the walk back to her dorm, he gave her his number and told her to call if she ever needed help.

***************************************

The next day Seung-Ho introduced Solar to a few places where she could get a part time job. She threw herself into her studies and her work, it became her anesthetic. And just like that, the days turned into months. She made new friends and began to smile more naturally.

At first, she kept herself from contacting Whee-In and Hwasa, giving excuses that she was too busy to chat for long. In truth, it just reminded her too much of her past. Eventually she spoke to them more, however they all avoided talking about Moonbyul. Every so often, she’d get a message from Mi-Cha about the latest gossip and newest muses.

MC: Ms. Soek has an indoor garden

DoReMi: What!?

DoReMi: Isn’t she a clean freak!?

MC: I know

MC: I was surprised too

DoReMi: What does she plant?

MC: Carrots

MC: Carrots

MC: And only carrots

DoReMi: What?

DoReMi: What for?

MC: Her bunnies

DoReMi: What!?

DoReMi: She has bunnies?

MC: Yep

MC: I think she has like 10

DoReMi: 10!?

DoReMi: When did she get them?

MC: Her husband’s birthday

MC: You know he adores bunnies, right?

MC: She got them and planted the garden to surprise him

DoReMi: Aw~ that’s so sweet.

MC: I know, right!?

MC: I want to meet someone as sweet as her

DoReMi: If you don’t even start a relationship, how would you find one?

MC: Eh, it’s just not for me.

DoReMi: Eh, then you might not find one.

MC: LOL funny

MC: Gotta go.

MC: A patient is throwing up.

DoReMi: K.

***************************************

It was a year later when Solar finally asked about Moonbyul, to which Hwasa replied that Moonbyul’s arm had made a full recovery and she’d gone back to work. Solar was happy to hear the news, but she was saddened at the same time. _She is better off without me._ The thought brought her pain, her aching heart felt as if it was only shattered yesterday. Her tears dripped onto her textbook as she tried to numb the pain.

***************************************

Moonbyul wanted to face Solar again as a better person. She didn’t want to disappoint Solar anymore. With this renewed dedication, she finished her physical therapy and went back to work. It wasn’t long before she was promoted and became a detective. Kang-Dae, however, failed to get promoted.

After Kang-Dae played his part in sabotaging her relationship, he moved on to a different couple. This time, the victim was a young police officer who had just entered the force and had become Kang-Dae’s new partner. After watching him from the sidelines, Moonbyul finally realized why Solar had hated him and she felt foolish for ever defending him. She warned the young officer about Kang-Dae and silently watched over her.

Kang-Dae was up to his old tricks, pushing all the work on his partner. Whenever Moonbyul witnessed this, she’d reprimand him. He’d also stopped hiding his displeasure and his jealousy toward her, admitting to the fact that he’d let her get injured, taunting her about the things he’d said to Solar. She wanted to punch him, but knew it would only work in his favor. She could only scoff at her own stupidity.

It’d been half a year since she’d made detective. Moonbyul and her team were on their way back from an investigation when they saw Kang-Dae without his partner. She knew he was up to something and stopped to watch him. He was staring into an alleyway and smirking to himself. It reminded her of the incident she was in.

Moonbyul went to check and her team followed closely behind her. It was as she’d anticipated, Kang-Dae’s partner was getting attacked. They quickly intervened and arrested the two thugs, who confessed to being blackmailed by Kang-Dae. He’d instructed them to break his partner’s leg. If Moonbyul had gotten there a few minutes later, the young officer would have become a cripple. It made her realize that the man who’d caused her injury was most likely blackmailed by Kang-Dae as well. She was furious.

Kang-Dae ran towards them to stop the arrest of the two assailants, who could become witnesses and testify against him.

“You can’t arrest them!” He commanded. “This is my turf! You don’t have jurisdiction here!”

Moonbyul looked him in the eyes and scoffed. “Watch me.”

Kang-Dae gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. _Bitch_ _is_ _always looking down on me!_ He swung at her just as she’d anticipated. She leaned back and dodged his punch with ease. He tried again but one of her teammates pushed him away.

“Keep your hands to yourself!”

“Don’t fucking touch me!” he screamed.

“Officer Kang-Dae!” The young man spoke in a commanding tone. “We do have jurisdiction here. Detective Moon outranks you and you tried to attack her. Do you know the consequences of attacking a superior officer?”

Kang-Dae furrowed his brow and pushed the young man. “Try me,” he challenged.

“Stop,” the young man slapped his hands away. “I’m warning you.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Kang-Dae pushed him again. “Nothing, that’s what I thought!”

“Dong-Yul,” his teammates called, “stop playing around with him.”

“Be right there.”

“You’ll go when I let you,” Kang-Dae continued his taunts.

He grabbed Kang-Dae and slammed him against the wall. “You’re under arrest for obstruction of justice, blackmail, and assaulting an officer of the law.”

“What the fuck!? Get your fucking hands off of me!” He squirmed. “I am an officer of the law!”

“No, you’re just a crook.” He confiscated Kang-Dae’s gun.

“What the fuck!? Give me my gun back!”

“You can make your case down at the station.” He pushed Kang-Dae toward the car.

“Fuck you! Let me go!”

“Walk!”

He sat down and refused to cooperate. “What are you gonna do?”

Everyone shook their heads and sighed. “Man, where’s your dignity?” A woman came up and crossed her arms as she looked down at him.

“Jade!” Dong-Yul said happily. “Want to give me a hand?”

“With pleasure.”

“Guys, don’t be too rough,” Moonbyul said as she handed the young officer a drink.

“Roger.” They answered in unison before grabbing his arms and dragging him to the car.

“Moonbyul! I’ll make you pay for this!” Kang-Dae tried to kick her as they threw him into the backseat. “You two better not say anything!” He stuck his head out the door and screamed at the two assailants, who were being loaded into a separate vehicle.

“Quiet down!” Dong-Yul pushed him back in and closed the door.

Moonbyul took care of the young officer while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Once she was in good hands, Moonbyul and her team headed back to the station with Kang-Dae and the two assailants. Kang-Dae made a scene as they dragged him into the station. The Police Chief summoned them into his office, before any further embarrassment occurred.

“What the hell is going on!?” the Chief questioned angrily and ordered his blinds to be closed.

Moonbyul recounted the attacks, the blackmail, and everything else she knew about Kang-Dae’s actions to him.

“Kang-Dae, how could you!?” The Chief sighed angrily.

“It’s a lie, Chief!” Kang-Dae protested, slamming his hands, which were still cuffed, onto the desk. “They’re framing me! They set me up, Chief. You gotta believe me!”

“There are plenty of witnesses,” Moonbyul added nonchalantly.

“They’re at your beck and call. They’ll say anything you want!” he turned toward her and hissed.

“What about these?” Moonbyul dropped a thick folder onto the Chief’s desk.

The Chief opened it and Kang-Dae saw the content. “Chief, it’s not—” Kang-Dae tried to plead.

“Enough!” He sighed loudly. “Kang-Dae, hand in your badge and gun. You’re now under investigation.”

“Chief!”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” He furrowed his brow and glared at Kang-Dae.

Kang-Dae gritted his teeth, pulled out his badge, and tossed it on the table as though it was a piece of trash. Dong-Yul placed Kang-Dae’s gun down next to it. Kang-Dae clenched his fists, his fingers digging into his flesh; an insatiable fury was burning inside of him as he glared at Moonbyul. Moonbyul was standing in front of the Chief’s desk, listening to his instructions. Kang-Dae nabbed his gun and pointed it at her head. Her teammates, who also went into the Chief’s office, pulled out their guns and aimed at him. She turned toward him, raised an eyebrow, and smirked as though she was challenging him.

“Kang-Dae! What do you think you’re doing!?” The Chief stood up and slammed his right hand down on the table. “Have you not embarrassed yourself enough!? All of you, put your weapons away!” he screamed.

Kang-Dae knew he was outmatched, he threw his gun back on the table.

The Chief sat down and rubbed his head. “You’re under house arrest until this investigation is over.” He sighed. “Take him away.”

“You’ll pay for this,” Kang-Dae hissed at Moonbyul.

“We’ll see,” she smirked.

“Moonbyul, you’ll pay for this!” he screamed as they dragged him away. “You’ll pay!”

The Chief dismissed everyone but Moonbyul. “Sit.”

“What is it, Chief?”

“Couldn’t you have done this a little quieter?”

“I tried, but you know how Kang-Dae is. He’s not one to go quietly.”

The Chief gave out a long sigh. “Just try to be more discreet next time.”

“I’ll try.”

After a few months of investigation, they unearthed even more of Kang-Dae’s crimes. He was officially fired and sentenced to thirty years in jail. The court gave him a chance to make his appeal. However, on the day of his hearing, he killed the officers who were transporting him, fled the scene, and hadn’t been seen since.

***************************************

Solar had been sitting at her desk, staring at her laptop. _How should I start this paper?_ She rested her chin on her hand as she scrolled through her research. It wasn’t long before her phone started buzzing. She tried to ignore it, but it kept ringing, so she flipped it over to look at the caller ID. When she realized who it was, she answered.

“Unnie!” Whee-In and Hwasa screamed, waving excitedly through the video chat. “Happy Birthday!”

Solar smiled sweetly, “Thank you.”

“Do you have any plans?”

“Not really. Just trying to write my paper.”

“You’re not going to celebrate?”

“It’s dark out, and the 21st isn’t till tomorrow.”

“Oh, we totally forgot about the time difference.”

“That’s alright. I’m happy all the same.”

They chatted the night away and Solar was glad to be distracted from her schoolwork. It was already past midnight by the time she bid them farewell. She was tired before she got in bed, but couldn’t fall asleep. She sat up and brushed her hair back with her hands. The moonlight drew her closer, she placed her hand on the window and rested her forehead upon it. The cool glass felt frozen, but the hands that were embracing her were warm.

“Happy Birthday,” a sweet voice whispered into her ear.

Her heart ached upon hearing it. She smiled wryly and opened her eyes. The warm embrace had faded and all that left was an empty dark room. She looked up at the moon and tears fell from her eyes.

***************************************

Moonbyul had been up since early morning. She was baking a small cake in the flat she’d rented for her week-long vacation, this cake was her third attempt. _I hope this cake turns out well._ She looked at the previous two that were sitting desolate on the counter, a hurriedly scribbled note was laying beside each one.

_Cake 1: Too coarse. Not sweet enough. Add water and sugar._

_Cake 2: Too sweet, but the softness is good. Less sugar._

The oven signaled it had finished baking her cake. She carefully placed it on the cooling rack and waited. If the taste was good, she could move on to the decoration phase. It was ready to be tasted. She took a deep breath and broke off a small piece. She chewed it for a moment and smiled. _It’s good. I think she’ll like it._

She grabbed the pastry bag to decorate the cake. When it was done, she gave a long sigh and shook her head. _It’s uglier than I thought. I guess it’s a good thing she can’t see it._ She added the candles and sang to herself. She clasped her hands together and wished with all her heart.

“Happy birthday, Solar.” She smiled sadly, “If only I could tell you that.”

She took her time to enjoy the cake, reminiscing the happy memories with Solar. After she was done, she glanced at the time. _It’s_ _almost_ _noon_ _._ She donned her black cap and grabbed her journal. It was a ten-minute walk to the campus grounds. She sat by the water with her back against a tree. She began recording in her journal.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

_**Journal Entry 10** _

_This is my second time here._ _Tomorrow will be_ _the last day of my vacation, but I still haven’t been able to find you._ _Regardless,_ _I_ _know I_ _could_ _only watch you from afar._ _Even so, I wish I could see your smile before I leave. If only wishes could come true so easily._

 _The other day when I thought I saw you, I hid myself. I realize I was scared, afraid of how you’_ _d_ _react if you saw me. Afraid that you’_ _d_ _treat me as if I was a stranger, not wanting to be reminded of the pain I’_ _ve_ _cause_ _d_ _you._ _If you did, I wouldn’t blame you._ _I was relie_ _ved_ _when she turned out to be a stranger. Don’t you think it’s silly? I want to see you, but I’m also avoiding you._ _I’m_ _a coward,_ _aren’t I_ _?_

 _I bake_ _d_ _a cake earlier for your birthday. The first two_ _weren’t_ _great, but the third turned out pretty well. Although it was quite ugly once I decorated it. I think you will like the taste, even if it wasn’t good looking._ _I took pictures of_ _the cakes_ _. Maybe I’ll_ _be able to_ _show you one day._

 _The scenery here is beautiful._ _I only discovered this spot the other day. I wish I had seen it earlier._ _I wonder if you’_ _ll_ _enjoy it as much as I do. I wish I could watch it with you by my side._

\-----------------------------------------------------------

She looked up to watch the ducks, swimming in the water in front of her. The sound of the guitar caught her attention. She turned to her left and heard a man singing. He was on the other side of the tree, so she couldn’t see him. She listened to it attentively and smiled. _What a beautiful song._ It wasn’t long until another man interrupted his song.

“Seung-Ho!”

“Hey! What did you find out?”

“I asked. She’s still in the dorm. Her next class is at two.”

“Thanks.”

“Will you finally ask her out?”

He took a deep breath, feeling nervous. “I don’t know. I hope she likes this song I wrote. I couldn’t think of anything else to give her on her birthday.”

“Don’t worry so much. I’m sure she will. Come on.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

Moonbyul watched as they headed towards the nearby dorm. G _ood luck,_ she smiled. _I hope your wish come_ _s_ _true._ She continued her journal entry.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

 _I just heard a very beautiful song._ _The person is on his way to sing it to the one he love_ _s_ _._ _I wonder who th_ _at_ _lucky lady is?_ _Apparently, i_ _t’s also her birthday today._ _I hope he’ll be able to make her happy._

_It reminds me of the time when we sang together. I wish I could hear your beautiful voice._

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Moonbyul closed her eyes and listened to the song, which was now playing in front of the dorm. After a few minutes, she wandered off to find Solar.

***************************************

Solar was grabbing her mail when she got startled by the sound of the guitar and almost dropped the envelopes. She turned around and smiled. Seung-Ho and their mutual friends were forming a semi circle, singing and holding up banners to wish her a happy birthday. She walked out the building to greet them and thought she saw Moonbyul near the water. When she tried to get a better look, that person was already walking off. _It can’t be her,_ she sighed softly. _She wouldn’t be here._ She pulled herself together and cheerily joined her friends. She gave each of them a hug and waited for Seung-Ho to finish with his song before giving him one as well.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOLAR!!!” They screamed in unison.

“Thank you guys. You guys are the best.”

“We know,” one of them said playfully and they all laughed.

“We’ll give you two some alone time,” one of her friends nudged her and winked. “But you better come out tonight. We must celebrate your birthday.”

“Yeah!” the others agreed. “We’ll be waiting!”

They didn’t wait for an answer before they scattered. Solar waved to them before turning back towards Seung-Ho.

“Seung-Ho Sunbaenim (Senior), what are you doing here?” She gave him another hug. “I thought you left already.”

“What? Can’t wait to get rid of me?” he jested.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m just messing with you.”

They headed to the bench by the water as they continued their conversation.

“So what brought you?”

“I wanted to wish you a happy birthday before I leave. Did you like the present?”

“Yes, it was beautiful. I didn’t know you could play the guitar.”

“Was it dashing?”

She shook her head playfully, “Maybe.”

“Ouch.”

“We’ve known each other for so long. You’re not used to it?”

“Two years, four months, and twenty-eight days. And no, I’m not,” he teased.

“You’re no better than me,” Solar pouted.

“I try. I try,” he placed his hand on his chest and spoke.

They spent a bit more times together before Solar left for class. She promised to meet up in the evening since he had to leave the next day. When Solar was on her way to class, she saw the same person from earlier, who she thought was Moonbyul. _Their clothing style_ _and presence_ _are_ _the same._ She didn’t have time to stop and check, so she wasn’t sure. It occupied her mind while she was in class. She faked using the restroom and ran out to find the answer, but the person was gone. She looked around, but she was unable to find her. _What am I doing?_ She held her head and sighed. After glancing around once more, she headed back to class.

That evening, she met up with her friends and celebrated. She bid Seung-Ho farewell and wished him a safe journey back to Korea. At the airport, he almost bumped into Moonbyul. He gave a quick apology and moved on. They sat back to back at the waiting area and took the same flight home, only a few rows apart.

Solar and Seung-Ho tried to keep in contact after he left, however it was hard to find a good time to talk. Their free time just never seemed to match up. If they were chatting, it would be cut short by one emergency or another. Despite the shortness of their phone calls, they still enjoyed hearing from one another.

***************************************

It was the end of Solar’s third year, she’d finished her studies earlier than expected. The head of her department made an offer for her to stay longer. Her friends also wished for her company, but she couldn’t stop thinking about returning to Korea, so she declined. As the date for her departure to her homeland came ever closer, a mix of sadness and happiness overtook her. She could feel her heart beating uncontrollably. _What will await me? Will I see h_ _er_ _again?_ _Byul ah, how have you been?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be back in the Present Timeline. Did everyone enjoy the Past Timeline? Was it adequate?


	12. The Most Beautiful Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you guys think of the chapter ^^  
> Enjoy :)

After having dinner and returning to their respective rooms, Moonbyul twisted and turned in her bed. _I wonder if she’s asleep._ She sat up and ruffled her hair. _What should I do? I miss her already._ She placed her hands on her hips and wandered around her room. _I want to talk to her._ Before she knew it, she was already standing in front of Solar’s bedroom door. She raised her hand to knock but hesitated, _what if she’s sleeping?_

Solar lay on her bed, feeling conflicted as she thought about their evening together. _It feels_ _nice to spend time with her again_ _._ She squeezed her pillow as she planted her face in it. _I know_ _we_ _should keep our distance, but I want to_ _see_ _her._ _Is it selfish of me to_ _want that_ _?_ She sat up and rubbed her temple. _I should go get some air._

When Solar opened her door and saw a dark silhouette standing on the other side, her face turned pale. _G-g-ghost!_ “AHHH!!!!” she screamed and slammed the door shut. She jumped on her bed and hid under her blanket. _Don’t come in here. Don’t come in here. Don’t come in here._ She clasped her hands together and prayed.

Moonbyul was surprised and happy when Solar opened the door, but Solar’s sudden scream startled her before she could give her greeting. _What the heck? Why did she scream?_ She knocked on the door and asked, “A-are you okay?” Solar didn’t respond so she let herself in.

Hearing the knocking on the door, Solar blocked her ears and chanted, “Please, go away. Please, go away. Please, go away.” When she heard the door open, she prayed even harder. _It’s in my room! Why is this happening to me!?_ She was bawling on the inside.

Upon entering the room, Moonbyul saw a circular bundle quaking on the bed. _Is she okay?_ She quickly made her approach and placed her hand on Solar’s back. “What’s wrong?” she asked concernedly.

“AHHH!!!” Solar jumped back and wailed.

“W-what’s wrong?” She was taken aback. “Do you not feel well?”

It took Solar a second to realize who was sitting in front of her. “Byul ah?” She peeked out from under her blanket.

“Y-yes?”

“Byul ahhh!” She hugged Moonbyul and sobbed.

She embraced Solar. “W-what’s wrong?”

“I thought you were a ghosttttt!!!”

 _She’s so adorable!_ Moonbyul laughed at Solar’s answer. “Still scared, huh?”

Solar separated herself from Moonbyul and playfully slapped Moonbyul’s arm. “Still mean, huh?”

“Ow~, said the person who just slapped me.”

“What?” Solar furrowed her brow and pouted.

She smiled sweetly and dried Solar’s tears. “I said you’re beautiful,” she whispered.

“You’re still the same. Always teasing me.”

“I’m not.” She tucked Solar’s hair behind her ear. “I mean it.”

Solar smiled and met Moonbyul’s gaze. “You couldn’t sleep either?”

She nodded, “mhm.”

“What were you doing in front of my door?”

Moonbyul scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously. “I was going to watch the sunrise. I wanted to ask you to join me, but I didn’t know if you were awake. I was wondering if I should knock on your door when you opened it and screamed.”

“What did you expect? Surprising me in the dark like that? My heart is still pounding.”

“Let me hear it.” She pulled Solar closer and pressed her ear against Solar’s chest.

“H-hey!” She blushed. _You’re just going to make it beat faster, you dolt!_

“It is fast! I think it’s getting faster!” She sounded as if she was fascinated by it.

“Alright, that’s enough!” She yanked Moonbyul off.

“So~ since you can’t sleep,” she played with her fingers excitedly. “Want to watch the sunrise with me?” she asked cutely.

“I would love to.” Solar smiled.

Moonbyul stood up and offered Solar her hand. “Take my hand. I’ll protect you, so you don’t have to be scared.”

Solar happily obliged. They held hands and walked to the front porch. The feeling of happiness filled their hearts. They closed their eyes to enjoy the bright moonlight embracing them, the gentle wind brushing past their skin, the fresh air lifting their spirits, and the warmth of their hands merging as one.

“It feels nice, being here with you,” Solar said sweetly, turning towards Moonbyul.

“I agree.” Moonbyul smiled and pulled her closer.

Solar knew what was about to happen, so she quickly changed the subject. “D-do you have tea?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “Do you want some?”

“Tea would be nice.”

“Want anything else? I can make it for you.”

“Just tea is fine.”

“Okay! I’ll make it right away.” She didn’t want to make Solar wait any longer than necessary. In her rush, she tripped and almost fell.

“Careful!” Solar said worriedly. “Let me help you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I insist.”

“It’s been a while since I tasted the tea you made,” she said cutely.

“I hope it still tastes good.”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”

Solar filled the tea kettle and placed it on the burner. “You know, you don’t have to try so hard for me. I—” Moonbyul hugged her from behind and her mind went blank, she couldn’t remember what she wanted to say.

She leaned next to Solar’s ear and whispered, “If it’s for you, nothing is hard.” She turned Solar around, wrapped her arms around Solar’s waist, and pulled her closer. “As long as you’re happy. Yong-Sun, I’m willing to do anything for you.”

Moonbyul lifted Solar’s chin and moved their lips closer together. Solar closed her eyes and let her instincts take control. She had debated many times, wondering if they would just end up hurting each other again. However, when Moonbyul was nearby, she was unable to think logically; unable to control the feelings overwhelming her heart. Their lips were about to touch when the whistling of the tea kettle grabbed Solar’s attention. She broke away from Moonbyul, her face was hot and her heart was racing.

“C-can you get the tea leaves?” she said shyly, keeping her attention on making the tea and trying her best to avoid eye contact with Moonbyul.

Moonbyul bit her lip softly, feeling disappointed. _Damn, I was so close too._ “Do you want any mint or honey in your tea?” She smiled sweetly.

“N-no, thank you.” She shook her head fervently, unable to turn towards Moonbyul.

“Here, let me help you.” She grabbed the handle of the kettle, touching Solar’s hand in the process. In her flustered state, Solar almost let go of the handle before Moonbyul had a good grip on it. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll finish the tea and bring it over.” She said sweetly.

“Thanks,” she said shyly and quicken her pace to the front porch.

Solar took her seat and tried to calm her racing heart. She swallowed and counted backward from ten, taking a deep breath with each number. As she got closer to one, she could feel her composure returning, her heart slowing down, and her mind clearing from its blanket of fog. She let out a sigh of relief and opened her eyes. She was greeted by a sweet smile from Moonbyul, who had brought the tea and was waiting patiently by her side. She quickly turned away, feeling her heart racing once more.

“It’s cute when you get like that,” Moonbyul mumbled, smiling happily as she sipped the tea.

“What?” Solar looked at Moonbyul and raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing.” She shook her head and grinned.

“Did I do something funny?”

Moonbyul shook her head. “I’m happy that we can spend time like this. It feels like we were never apart.” She met Solar’s gaze and smiled sweetly. “I’m happy that you’re still the same Yong-Sun that I love.”

Solar rubbed the side of her tea cup before giving it a sip. “I’m glad to see you smiling again.”

“How’s the tea?”

“It’s good.”

“Does it still taste the same?”

“Yes.” Solar smiled happily.

“That’s good.” She looked down at her tea. “When do you start work?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Which hospital?”

“Central.”

“The one nearby?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “What about you? How’s work at the precinct?”

“I made detective a while back,” she said proudly.

“Congrats. Does it keep you busy?”

“Sometimes. Mostly with the paperwork.” She held Solar’s hand, “Don’t worry, I’m keeping myself safe.”

Solar looked up at her and smiled. She placed her head on Moonbyul’s shoulder and they sipped their tea together. _I’m glad we can sit here, drink tea, and chat. Just like old times._ It felt as if time had turned back, to the days when they were lost in their own bliss. Moonbyul recounted the many cases she had worked on. The spark in her eyes when she spoke about her work captivated Solar, filling her with joy. She couldn’t help but smile. _I’m glad you’re still able to do what you love._

She fell asleep listening to Moonbyul’s sweet voice. Moonbyul carefully carried Solar in her arms. She tucked Solar into bed. The sun was beginning to rise and its light slowly crawled on Solar’s face. She kissed Solar’s forehead and placed their heads together before whispering, “Sweet dreams, my love. You’re the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen.”


End file.
